2018 Atlanta United FC season
The 2018 Atlanta United FC season was the second season of Atlanta United FC's existence, and the tenth year that a professional soccer club from Atlanta, Georgia competed in the top division of American soccer. Atlanta played their home matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and were coached by Gerardo "Tata" Martino. Outside of MLS, the team participated in the 2018 U.S. Open Cup and the 2018 MLS Cup Playoffs, as well as various preseason competitions.
On November 17, 2017, Atlanta United announced the launch of a reserve team, Atlanta United 2, to play in what is currently named the USL Championship at the start of the 2018 season.
With a win over Chicago Fire on October 21, Atlanta qualified for the 2019 CONCACAF Champions League by having the best aggregate record across the 2017 and 2018 MLS seasons. The club later qualified for the competition by winning MLS Cup 2018, so their previously-held spot was allocated to the team with the second best aggregate record, New York Red Bulls.
Club
International roster slots
Atlanta had seven International Roster Slots at the end of the 2018 season. Josef Martínez occupied an International Roster Slot until July 9, when he received a green card, making him a domestic player for MLS roster purposes. Jon Gallagher occupied an International Roster Slot until August 19, when he was sent on loan to Atlanta United 2 and José Hernández was recalled from the second team to replace Gallagher.| Slot | Player | Country |
| 1 | Franco Escobar |  Argentina |
| 2 | Leandro González Pírez | Argentina |
| 3 | Ezequiel Barco | Argentina |
| 4 | Miguel Almirón |  Paraguay |
| 5 | Julian Gressel |  Germany |
| 6 | Eric Remedi | Argentina |
| 7 | José Hernández |  Venezuela |
Results
Non-competitive
Friendlies
Carolina Challenge Cup
Competitive
Major League Soccer
League tables
Eastern Conference
Overall
Results summary
Results by round
Matches
MLS Cup Playoffs
U.S. Open Cup
Statistics
Top scorers
Disciplinary record
Player Movement
In
SuperDraft picks
Draft picks are not automatically signed to the team roster. Only trades involving draft picks and executed after the start of 2018 MLS SuperDraft will be listed in the notes. Atlanta had four selections in the draft.Loan in
| No. | Pos. | Player | Loaned From | US | Start | End | Source |
| 33 | GK |  Atlanta United 2 | US | May 4, 2018 | May 8, 2018 | ||
| 33 | GK | Atlanta United 2 | US | May 8, 2018 | May 10, 2018 | ||
| 34 | FW | Atlanta United 2 | US | June 5, 2018 | June 9, 2018 |
Out
Per Major League Soccer and club policies terms of the deals do not get disclosed.| No. | Pos. | Player | Transferred To | Type | US | Fee/Notes | Date | Source |
| 21 | DF | Mark Bloom | Free Agent | Option Declined | US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| 12 | DF | Bobby Boswell | Free Agent | Contract Expired | US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| 9 | FW |  Kenwyne Jones | Sporting Kansas City | Option Declined | US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| 27 | DF | Zach Loyd | Free Agent | Option Declined | US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| 2 | DF |  Tyrone Mears | Minnesota United | Option Declined | Non-US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| — | FW |  Jeffrey Otoo | Free Agent | Option Declined | Non-US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| 25 | GK | Kyle Reynish | Fresno FC | Contract Expired | US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| 23 | GK |  Alexandros Tabakis | Sporting Kansas City | Option Declined | US | Free | November 20, 2017 | |
| 13 | MF | Harrison Heath | Minnesota United | Trade | US | Received 2019 fourth round pick | December 10, 2017 | |
| 26 | DF | Anton Walkes | Tottenham Hotspur | Loan Return | Non-US | Free | December 31, 2017 | |
| 11 | MF | Yamil Asad | Vélez Sarsfield | Loan Return | Non-US | Free | December 31, 2017 | |
| 14 | MF |  Carlos Carmona | Colo-Colo | Transfer | Non-US | Undisclosed | January 30, 2018 | |
| 29 | MF | Jacob Peterson | Free Agent | Waived | US | Free | January 29, 2018 | |
| — | DF |  Gbenga Arokoyo |  Kalmar FF | Transfer | Non-US | Free | January 31, 2018 |
Loan out
Due to a surplus of players under contract that required an International Roster Slot, Oliver Shannon was loaned to Atlanta United 2 for the full 2018 season. In addition, as part of Eric Remedi's incoming transfer, José Hernández was officially loaned to Atlanta United 2. Neither player could be recalled to the first team without an additional corresponding roster transaction. Players on the first team roster were able play for the second team without restriction.On August 19, Hernández was in the matchday squad for the first team's match against the Columbus Crew. In order for this to be in compliance with league roster rules, Atlanta had to send forward Jon Gallagher on loan to Atlanta United 2 for the rest of the season and recall Hernández from the second team.
Non-player transfers
| Acquired | From | For | Source |
| 2018 Fourth Round Pick | Los Angeles FC | International roster slot - 2018 | |
| 2018 Second Round Pick | Sporting Kansas City | 2021 Fourth Round Pick | |
| Up to $600K in TAM | D.C. United | Discovery rights for Yamil Asad | |
| $50K in GAM | New York Red Bulls | Discovery rights for Kaku |
Honors
Weekly / monthly
MLS player of the month
MLS team / player / coach of the week
MLS goal of the week
Annual
| Honor | Player | Ref |
| MLS MVP | Josef Martínez | |
| MLS Cup MVP | Josef Martínez | |
| MLS Best XI | Miguel Almirón Josef Martínez | |
| MLS Golden Boot | Josef Martínez | |
| MLS Coach of the Year | Gerardo Martino | |
| MLS All-Star Game | Miguel Almirón Ezequiel Barco Brad Guzan Josef Martínez Darlington Nagbe Michael Parkhurst | |
| MLS All-Star Game MVP | Josef Martínez |