And so a culture was born - one that captured the eyes of those more seasoned in the global game, too.
“When you talk about infrastructure and the thought process behind it, [Blank] wanted to build this super club, and obviously Atlanta's such a hotbed of diversity. You've got absolutely every sort of culture, different nationalities, different people, and I think one thing that obviously football, soccer, does is really unite people,” former West Ham midfielder Jack Collison said.
He moved to Atlanta for ‘something different’ - a job in the club’s youth academy in 2019. Collison has never gone back.
His former club played a friendly in the stadium last year on a preseason tour. And they were shocked.
“It was incredible to have these guys over, and even just speaking to Mark Noble before the game, and one or two of the players, these guys have played at the best stadiums in the world in front of incredible fans. But for them, for a preseason game to go into this stadium and just see how mind-blowing it is, it really sort of sets the scene for some incredible moments,” Collison said.
Other MLS players have bought in, too. Fafa Picault signed for Atlanta United this offseason after winning MLS Cup with Inter Miami in December. He couldn’t be happier.
“You have different aspects to the city, and then you have a big Latin culture that's grown, especially over the last few years, compared to when I used to come play here and visit. Now living here, it's grown tremendously,” Picault said.
It has proliferated beyond the sport, too. The Falcons and Atlanta United share an arena. And the NFL team knows just how impactful the soccer culture can be.
“It's only going to get so much bigger,” Falcons running back Bijan Robinson toldGOAL. “And for me, like as a soccer fan, and seeing all these people from other countries here, and like representing their country and taking the time to come on a flight and do all the stuff like that, that's what matters.
It is of little coincidence, perhaps, that U.S. Soccer set up its new state-of-the-art training facility 20 miles south of downtown (a project that Blank funded). The USMNT like that place, too.
"The facilities themselves are incredible. I feel like this is what the national team has needed for a really, really long time... It's a pretty special thing that I think is going to help the national team grow for sure," Tyler Adams said at the start of the USMNT's World Cup camp.