Worst MLS Team Spends Millions on World Cup Star in Desperate Attempt to Save Season

Atlanta United are returning to their typical playbook to salvage the season, shelling out a massive fee to bring in Switzerland World Cup goalscorer Breel Embolo and completing one of the biggest deals in MLS history.

Sitting last in the Eastern Conference with just 18 points in 20 games, the Five Stripes signed the world-class striker from French Ligue 1 side Stade Rennais for a whopping $18 million on Sunday, a fee that ranks as the fifth-highest all-time among incoming MLS signings. He will be a Designated Player through the 2029–30 season.

Embolo arrives after scoring 100 goals and 66 assists in 380 professional games for Rennes, FC Basel, Schalke 04, Borussia Mönchengladbach and AS Monaco and remains a key piece of Switzerland’s national team. He notched two goals and two assists at the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer in the team’s remarkable run to the quarterfinals.

In total with the national team, he has 26 goals in 92 caps and has played at three World Cups (2018, 2022, 2026) and three European Championships (2016, 2020, 2024).

Hitting all the right notes 🎼 pic.twitter.com/3gibgYGG2h
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) August 23, 2026

“We’re pleased to bring a player with Breel’s combination of talent and experience at the highest levels of world soccer to Atlanta United,” said Chris Henderson, Atlanta United’s chief soccer officer and sporting director.

“At age 29, he’s coming off a strong performance at the World Cup with Switzerland and has a proven track record of goal contributions in multiple top European leagues ... His goal-scoring, ability to link with other players in the attack and tireless work rate are qualities that will strengthen our team from the center forward position.”

Embolo joins an Atlanta team that has had its share of troubling and expensive deals in recent history. Earlier this summer, the club managed to loan record-signing Emmanuel Latte Lath to Bundesliga side FC Union Berlin after he scored just nine goals in 44 games through 2025 and 2026, despite spending a then-record fee of $22 million plus add-ons to bring him in, a deal that still ranks second in MLS history.

While the Swiss forward plays the same position as Latte Lath, there’s hope he can bring a scoring touch back to an Atlanta side that has scored just 23 times in 20 games. Amid the plummet in form, the Five Stripes have seen attendance severely drop, averaging 37,720 in 2026. When they were among MLS’s finest between 2016 and 2018, attendance averaged over 50,000.

Atlanta Dominates All-Time Transfer Fees

Breel Embolo is the latest expensive Atlanta United signing. | Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Getty Images

Atlanta United hold five of the top-eight incoming transfer fees in MLS history, with Embolo ranking as the club’s second-highest expense.

Previous marquee signings, like Thiago Almada and Miguel Almirón, have worked out, while others like Latte Lath and Ezequiel Barco have underwhelmed in their time with the Red and Black.

Embolo marks the fourth deal this year to crack the top-10 all-time highest incoming fees, with Toronto FC’s $22 million signing of Josh Sargent in February sitting third all-time, Inter Miami’s $15 million January acquisition of Germán Berterame now 10th and Sporting Kansas City’s recent club-record $18 million purchase of André Luiz sitting just ahead in fourth.

Major League Soccer Record Transfers

Player	Transfer Fee	Year	MLS Club Joined	Previous Club
Son Heung-min	$26.5 million	2025	LAFC	Tottenham Hotspur (Premier League)
Emmanuel Latte Lath	$22 million	2025	Atlanta United	Middelsborough FC (EFL Championship)
Josh Sargent	$22 million	2026	Toronto FC	Norwich City (EFL Championship)
André Luiz	$18 million	2026	Sporting Kansas City	Olympiacos (Greece)
Breel Embolo	$18 million	2026	Atlanta United	Stade Rennais (France)
Kévin Denkey	$16.2 million	2024	FC Cincinnati	Cercle Brugge (Belgium)
Thiago Almada	$15.5 million	2022	Atlanta United	Vélez Sarsfield (Argentina)
Gonzalo Martinez	$15.5 million	2019	Atlanta United	River Plate (Argentina)
Ezequiel Barco	$13 million	2018	Atlanta United	Independiente (Argentina)

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