Best Decision By a Sports Team That Hasn’t Played a Single Game

Earlier this year, some metro Atlanta teenagers who had participated in tryouts for ATLANTA UNITED FC’S YOUTH ACADEMY heard a knock on their doors. When they opened they discovered a small package on their doorstep. Inside was a jersey and an invitation to join the Major League Soccer team’s league aimed at growing and grooming talented players at its under-construction Marietta facility on Franklin Road. For the young men, it was a fitting welcome to an incredible opportunity to improve their skills at a facility that will benefit the metro region’s soccer community. The academy is no after-school clinic for kids with good dribbling skills. It’s a multimillion-dollar training ground led by former Liverpool director Richard Money that could groom hometown talent for future spots on the pro team — they will sometimes train alongside the pros — and create stars that will always have a link to the city. www.atlutd.com. less...