A centerpiece of Atlanta United's new era has officially arrived.
Alexey Miranchuk was formally introduced Tuesday, about three weeks after Atlanta formally acquired their new Designated Player from Italian Serie A side Atalanta. The 28-year-old Russian international midfielder arrives after the Five Stripes' summer selling spree, which included World Cup winner Thiago Almada joining Brazilian top-flight side Botafogo for an MLS-record fee.
Enter Miranchuk, who brings plenty of pedigree as Almada's presumptive replacement.
"In my opinion, I see myself [fitting in] exactly on this team," Miranchuk told reporters. "I cannot see the future, but my feelings tell me that I can feel good in this team, in this league, because I'm an offensive player and a lot of goal-scoring. So I'm looking forward to just getting to know my teammates better, to understand them better and to help them score, assist them."
"I'm used to playing [an attacking role], like No. 10 or right wing," Miranchuk added. "So obviously my position is to create the moments, key passes, assists. I'm about to show everything on the field."
Miranchuk made 98 all-competition appearances for Atalanta, recording 13 goals and 19 assists while helping the club to a UEFA Europa League title in 2023-24. Now, he's expected to contribute to an attack that includes Georgian international winger Saba Lobjanidze and strikers Daniel Ríos and Jamal Thiaré.
"It was the best experience. It was a great experience, it will stay in my memory for all my career, my life," Miranchuk said of his time in Italy. "Just the mentality and the mindset because we are the players. At the end of the day, all that counts are trophies or what you leave on the field. So just to chase trophies, play in playoffs, Cup, fighting for everything – that's what I want to represent."
Making his way to the US for the first time, MLS's star power and growth made it an attractive option for Miranchuk.
"I've always wanted to learn more about culture and see other places, and this is the right place," he added. "The league is growing, and there are a lot of quality players and great players that play here, and many more are coming. ... It's the right timing, and this is the right place to be."
While Atlanta have fallen short of expectations in 2024, they're ninth in the Eastern Conference and on track for another Audi MLS Cup Playoffs appearance.
"What we'd like to do this season for us, making the playoffs and going on a run and really trying to compete," said Carlos Bocanegra, the club's vice president and technical director. "We feel like we have a good group. We haven't been able to put it together consistently through the year. But with a little bit of help here coming in and some reinforcements, so to speak, we're looking forward to that.
"Originally, our goals were to try to finish in the top four in the East at the beginning of the season," Bocanegra continued. "I think that's probably not going to be able to happen this year, unfortunately. But that doesn't mean that we're not going to continue to try and go on a run. We feel good about this group and with these two impactful pieces coming in, obviously right now we're speaking about Alexey, we think that's going to give us that boost to get into the playoffs and go cause some trouble."
