Atlanta United have signed vice president and technical director Carlos Bocanegra to a multi-year contract extension, the club announced Monday.
The extension keeps Bocanegra at the club he first joined as technical director in 2015 before adding VP to his title in 2017. Bocanegra has also overseen Atlanta's youth academy.
“Carlos came to Atlanta United straight from a decorated playing career, and immediately put the same energy and passion that he had on the field into his first front-office role,” Atlanta United president Darren Eales said in a release. “Since entering the league in 2017, Atlanta United has established itself as a top MLS club, and Carlos has been an integral part of that success.
"From building an academy that has already produced USMNT players, to drafting Miles Robinson in our first SuperDraft, to establishing a scouting and recruitment department which has signed players from Josef Martinez to Luiz Araújo, Carlos has worked tirelessly for the good of the club. Therefore, I’m delighted to announce an extension that will allow him to continue to work alongside Gonzalo Pineda in this next exciting chapter of our history.”
Bocanegra, 42, joined Atlanta's front office after a lengthy playing career that saw him win the MLS Defender of the Year award twice during his four-season run with Chicago Fire FC before embarking on a lengthy stint overseas where he played in England, Scotland, France and Spain. He returned to MLS with now-defunct Chivas USA from 2013-14 before retiring.
In his playing days, Bocanegra was also a longtime stalwart for the US men's national team. racking up 110 senior caps from 2001-12. Bocanegra was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame in September 2020.
Under Bocanegra, Atlanta United enjoyed a successful launch into MLS, winning MLS Cup in 2018, as well as the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019.
“I want to thank Arthur Blank, Stephen Cannon and Darren for their continued confidence in me. We built something from scratch that I think we can all be proud of, but collectively we have bigger aspirations for what this club can become,” Bocanegra said. “I also want to recognize the support staff for their dedication and sacrifice to the project and vision that we have for this club.
"We’re still a young franchise, but the goal is to keep pushing forward and continuing to build upon the foundation that we’ve laid and ultimately establish this club as the premier team on the continent. Finally, I’m really excited about working together with Gonzalo, who shares our strategic vision for this club’s future.”
