Atlanta United re-signs striker Jamal Thiare on a one-year contract

The reserve striker returns to the Five Stripes on a new deal.

Atlanta United announced today that it has signed forward Jamal Thiare to a new one-year contract that includes an option for 2026.

Thiare, 31, scored 8 goals in 1508 minutes for Atlanta last season, making it his most prolific since 2017/18 when he scored 14 goals for Avranches in the French third division.

Notably, Thiare assumed the role of starter in the playoffs after a stop-start, injury-riddled year that kept him out of 10 games. The Senegalese frontman scored what proved to be the winner against Orlando City on Decision Day and followed that up with a brace in the team’s series-clinching win against Inter Miami.

To revisit our thoughts on Thiare, here’s what Rob Usry and myself had to say about him in our annual “Ins-and-Outs” series last month.

Rob: This is an interesting one. Thiare was brought in as a TAM player and makes about $500,000 per year. Clearly he’s not worth that price tag. I would be stunned if the club trigger their option for him for 2025. However, I would definitely entertain the idea of bringing him back to fill the backup spot for a much lower cap hit. Would he agree to that? Chances of leaving: 45%

Joe: Thiare is so damn useful when he plays. He has so many traits that allow him to play as a No. 9 when the starting striker is unavailable. I really applaud the strategy to dole out TAM for a player in this position even if he’s not going to start most games. However, he himself was unavailable quite a bit last year due to injury. Ultimately I think the front office will try to replicate this squad role, but I’m doubtful that Thiare will be the one to fill it. Chances of leaving: 60%

Obviously his previous contract was a concern for the club, otherwise the team would’ve triggered the option on that deal which guaranteed him $595k in 2024. While we don’t yet know what his new cap hit will be, Five Stripe Final understands that he will not require any Targeted Allocation Money.

There’s no doubt that Thiare possesses traits that teams are looking for in forwards — long speed, strength to hold off physical center backs and an aerial threat in the box. He’s settled in Atlanta and has good on-field relationships with his teammates, which is a non-trivial benefit that will help him have an impact from the jump in the coming season under a new head coach.