Garth Lagerwey’s office at Atlanta United’s training complex is strikingly bare. The leadership themed books on the shelf aren’t his — they belonged to his predecessor, former club president Darren Eales. Lagerwey’s desk is free of clutter, for now.
His wife and three sons remained in Seattle while Lagerwey, Atlanta United’s new president and chief executive officer, was busy restructuring the club’s roster in January. Since his arrival, Lagerwey has been living in temporary corporate housing in the Vinings suburb of Atlanta.
Those interim accommodations are a stark contrast to the permanent changes that Lagerwey will incorporate in Atlanta. Lagerwey is a three-time MLS Cup winning general manager. He’s among the league’s top executives, evidenced by the opinions of his peers, as revealed in The Athletic’s recent MLS executive survey. His roster strategies, negotiation tactics and his deep knowledge of the MLS’ idiosyncratic financial rules are reasons why.
But in Atlanta, his first challenge isn’t to contend for another MLS Cup. That’s a short-term objective, of course. To start, the process-driven and self-proclaimed risk averse Lagerwey will be responsible for ushering in a new business model for the organization.
Call it the corporatization…
