The new Falcons stadium has a new tenant – other than Atlanta’s pro football team. The man behind the city’s NFL franchise is now also the man who’ll bring Major League Soccer to Atlanta.
About 30 soccer fans crossed Marietta Street at Baker late Wednesday, chanting “MLS, we are next, Uncle Arthur, you’re the best!” Uncle Arthur is Falcons owner Arthur Blank and he’s given these soccer fans something to celebrate: a team they can call their own.
“Arthur, on behalf of soccer fans across America, it is my pleasure to welcome the city of Atlanta, the State of Georgia, to Major League Soccer,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber at a news conference in downtown Atlanta.
The team, whose name, colors and logo will be picked by the fans, will play in the new Falcons Stadium beginning in March 2017.
“This decision is um, is um….” Blank became emotional as he faced reporters to announce the new team, a dream he has held for more than ten years. But he made no bones about choking up a little.
“Sorry for the emotion, but I’m not, because that’s what soccer is – a lot of emotion,” he told the cheering crowd. “Thank you for understanding.”
Atlanta will be the league's 22nd city. Blank is building the new Falcons stadium to accommodate both kinds of football. Its lower decks will retract to make room for soccer play, just one of the technological enhancement he promises will allow the new venue to accommodate both sports.
This second stadium tenant means the new facility will be busy year-round when it’s ready in 2017.