Retro Atlanta United Shirts – The Five Stripes' Finest Kits

Atlanta United's story begins not on the pitch but in the boardroom, when billionaire Arthur Blank — already the proud owner of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons — secured an MLS expansion franchise in 2014. The announcement sent shockwaves through the city, and anticipation built for three years before a ball was ever kicked competitively. When the club finally entered the league in 2017, the results were staggering. Under Argentine manager Gerardo 'Tata' Martino, one of the most tactically astute coaches to grace the American game, Atlanta United immediately played an attacking, free-flowing style of football that captivated fans and neutrals alike. That inaugural season saw them finish fourth in the Eastern Conference — a genuinely remarkable debut for a brand new club — but it was merely the prelude to something truly historic.

The 2018 MLS season is the one written in gold in the club's history books. Atlanta United stormed through the regular season and the playoffs with irresistible swagger, reaching the MLS Cup Final at the iconic Mercedes-Benz Stadium in front of a record-breaking home crowd of over 73,000 supporters. Facing the Portland Timbers, Atlanta produced a masterclass performance, winning 2-0 to claim the club's first MLS Cup championship. The city of Atlanta erupted. In just its second season of existence, Atlanta United had become champions of American soccer — one of the most remarkable achievements in MLS expansion history and a moment that confirmed Atlanta as a serious football city on the global stage.

The post-championship era proved considerably more turbulent. Martino departed to manage the Mexican national team, and his successors — including Dutchman Frank de Boer and several others — struggled to recapture the irresistible magic of those early years. The club oscillated between playoff contention and mid-table frustration, enduring difficult stretches that truly tested the patience of their passionate and expectant fanbase. Eastern Conference rivals including Orlando City, Charlotte FC, and the New York clubs intensified competition, forging fierce regional rivalries that have only added to the drama of the MLS calendar.

Yet through every twist and setback, Atlanta United's identity as a club built on attacking football, cultural diversity, and genuine community spirit has never wavered. The Five Stripes continue to push forward, always hunting for the formula that will deliver a second MLS Cup to this magnificent, tree-canopied Southern metropolis.

No Atlanta United story can be told without Josef Martinez at its absolute center. The Venezuelan striker arrived in 2017 and immediately became a phenomenon, combining lethal finishing with explosive pace and an instinctive sense for goal. His 2018 season was the stuff of pure legend: Martinez scored 31 goals in the regular season alone, shattering the MLS single-season scoring record that had stood for years, before adding another 7 in the playoffs as Atlanta marched to the title. He claimed the MLS MVP award, the Golden Boot, and an MLS Cup championship all in the same calendar year — a treble of individual and collective honour that had never been achieved in the same season by a single player. Martinez became the undisputed face of the franchise and one of the most celebrated players in MLS history.

Alongside him, Miguel Almiron was the creative heartbeat of that brilliant 2017-2018 era. The Paraguayan midfielder's relentless engine, incisive vision, and pressing intensity made him an instant fan favourite before his high-profile transfer to Newcastle United in the Premier League in January 2019 — one of the most significant sales in MLS history at the time. His departure stung, but it announced to the global football community that Atlanta United was a club capable of nurturing world-class talent.

Ezequiel Barco thrilled supporters with his Argentine creativity and dribbling flair in the attacking third. Darlington Nagbe provided craft, composure, and technical excellence in central midfield, while Brad Guzan marshalled the defence as a reliable goalkeeper and respected captain who embodied the club's ambitions. Manager Tata Martino stands above all others as the true architect of the club's identity — his insistence on bold, attacking, high-intensity football shaped everything Atlanta United became during those electric, record-breaking early years.

From the very first whistle of the 2017 inaugural season, Atlanta United's kits have been among the most visually striking and boldly designed in all of MLS. The club's identity is built around a commanding color palette of red, black, and gold — colors that evoke both Georgian pride and the fiery, relentless ambition of the club itself. The defining design feature, of course, is the iconic 'Five Stripes' motif, a bold graphic element that runs across the chest and instantly identifies any retro Atlanta shirt as something genuinely special and historically significant.

The 2017 and 2018 home shirts — classic red with sharp black and gold detailing — are the most historically important pieces, representing the club's debut season and their championship-winning year respectively. The 2018 MLS Cup winner's shirt is the undisputed holy grail for serious collectors. Away kits across the years have rotated beautifully through black and gold colorways, each generation featuring its own unique design details and subtle nods to Atlanta's rich cultural tapestry. The club's long-standing partnership with adidas has ensured technically superior fabrication alongside consistently striking aesthetics. Limited and special edition releases — including community-themed kits celebrating Atlanta's extraordinary cultural diversity — have added further depth and desirability to the club's growing shirt legacy. With 8 authentic Atlanta retro shirts currently available in our shop, there has never been a better moment to start or expand your collection.