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A New Tradition Begins

Supporters showed up to the Training Ground rowdy and proud in Gonzalo Pineda’s first practice with fans.

By Atlanta United FC

September 21^st, 2021

Striker Luiz Araújo made a sliding tackle in one of the competitive scrimmages, turned quickly, saw the goalkeeper slightly off his line, then lofted a pretty, arching ball into the goal.

Instead of perhaps a slap on the back or line of encouragement from a teammate or two, Araújo got a little more of a reception on Tuesday. He received zealous applause from 100 or so fans invited to attend practice by head coach Gonzalo Pineda.

(And, perhaps as a result, Araújo gave the fans a little pizzaz back. He smirked, made a little flick of his pointer finger, looking oh so cool, and strode past the fans cheering him from only about 20 feet away.)

A selected group of Atlanta United fans were at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground to watch the team’s training session on Tuesday. The supporters marched a little more than half a mile from the Franklin Gateway Sports Complex, dressed in Atlanta kits and bearing flags, banging on drums and calling out chants, then stayed to watch a training session and interact with players afterward.

It was the first time members of registered supporters groups have been invited by the head coach to attend a team training session at the Training Ground, and it’s an event that Gonzalo Pineda would like to turn into a tradition.

“Fans, and especially here in Atlanta with the passion that they bring to the stadium, it’s important for me that they are integrated in our system and the players feel their love,” Pineda said.

Fans were selected from four of Atlanta’s registered supporters groups: Resurgence, Terminus Legion, The Faction and Footie Mob. Each group represents a different personality of Atlanta’s fan base: Resurgence with the focus on a heartfelt in-game experience, Terminus Legion which supports service to the community and projects like the Chattahoochee River Clean-Up, The Faction whose motto is “club first” and holds family-oriented values, and Footie Mob which is all about a social, fun environment.

And together, the groups brought Atlanta’s passionate culture directly to the Training Ground.

“It’s such a great gesture toward the fans,” said Kevin Kinley, leader of The Faction. “His familia, his total family atmosphere about the fans and the team and connecting those two together I think is really important.”

Andrea Morris, leader for the Resurgence group, took half a day off from work to accept Pineda’s invitation.

“He didn’t just ask us to be here,” Morris said. “He asked us to bring the supporters’ experience here, which I think is a level above just having an open practice.”

Fans stood right next to the field to watch practice. They chanted and cheered on players, met team president Darren Eales, waved large colorful flags and hung banners from the side of the facility where players could see. The groups created a loud and rowdy atmosphere reminiscent of match days at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The only quiet moment during the hour-long training session came when Pineda opened practice and gave a gracious message from the pitch directly to those in attendance.

“You love the game, you love the team and you love the players,” Pineda told the fans. “We appreciate all of you, so thank you for being here.”

Tuesday’s practice brought fans closer to the players. Kinley came into the day hoping to see some creativity and flair from the players -- which he saw firsthand from Araújo. Angel Whitworth, who leads Footie Mob and celebrated her birthday on Tuesday with members of all groups singing “Happy Birthday” to her, liked seeing how practice leads to the final result she sees on the field. C.K. Lopez, the leader for Terminus Legion, said he was most interested to watch the goalkeepers train.

“I’d never heard of a head coach who had invited supporters to a practice,” Lopez said. “And I thought that is such a great way to reach out to your core fan base.”

The experience not only brought the fans closer to the team, it also brought the players closer to the fans that support them.

“It was good to see the fans come out and watch practice,” defender Brooks Lennon said. “I’ve never had it before in my career, so it was fun.”

With so many eyes on its players, some expected the team to deviate from its normal routine. However, Pineda emphasized that there were no changes to his plans and that the team practiced hard, focusing on competition, fundamentals and preparing for their next matchup against Philadelphia.

The idea to invite fans to practice originated from his playing time in Mexico. Pineda said it’s normal there for clubs to have fans at training, especially at certain points in the season.

“I felt this was a key moment for us,” Pineda said. “Re-uniting everything, trying to bring everybody together, motivating the players and the fans feeling connected.”

And this likely won’t be the last time Pineda will have fans at practice. It’s something he wants to do more often. He already has eyes on potentially opening practice again as soon as later this year.

“Overall, I love the idea of bringing the fans to see their players in their environment in training sessions,” Pineda said. “And they love that. They love to see their players.”

Afterward, fans met with some players from a safe distance. Players stood together to applaud the fans at the end of the training session and stayed after to sign autographs. At one end of the autograph line, a fan held a Terminus Legion flag that many players were able to sign.

The fan experience is important to Pineda. He’s emphasized building the connection between the fans and the team ever since he arrived to Atlanta. And it’s something that supporters from all four groups seemed to notice and appreciate.