ATLANTA (AP) Atlanta United has signed technical director Carlos Bocanegra to a four-year contract extension through 2022 and added the title of vice president.
Bocanegra was rewarded Monday for building a high-scoring roster that already qualified for the playoffs in United’s debut season. The team will set a Major League Soccer season attendance record, averaging more than 46,000.
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Atlanta is the first expansion team to qualify for the playoffs since 2009 and only the second since 1998.
A longtime member of the U.S. national team, Bocanegra retired as a player in 2014. He was hired by United the following year and assembled a roster that includes Josef Martinez, Miguel Almiron and Tito Villalba, who have combined to score 40 goals - more than four MLS teams.