Thiago Almada: The right player at the wrong time for Atlanta United

The No. 10's time in the A will be remembered for what could've been rather than what was.

via Atlanta United

The subjectivity of soccer is truly beautiful. If you ask 10 different Atlanta United supporters their opinion of Thiago Almada’s time with the Five Stripes, there’s a solid chance you’d receive 10 different viewpoints.

I’ve seen a wide array of takes on Almada’s lasting impact and legacy in MLS. Some of the extreme ones include him not being good enough to carry Atlanta to trophies all the way to the club letting him down by not giving him the surrounding cast to succeed.

Now that the Almada era is officially over, I find myself struggling with where I sit on that wide spectrum. On one hand, I’m happy to see him go and excited with the opportunity the club has to build the team around different star players. Then there’s the other half that will miss watching his undeniable talent to pull off some of the most amazing things we’ve seen in the club’s seven-plus years.