Atlanta, GA
Official: Atlanta United, embattled U-22 forward Erik Lopez part ways
Atlanta United announced today that it has agreed with U-22 forward Erik Lopez to mutually terminate his contract that will go into effect next year.
Exactly nothing went right for Lopez’s Atlanta United tenure. Upon being signed in the summer of 2020, the Paraguayan international was unable to be registered to the squad until the following season. That year, head coach Gabriel Heinze featured him frequently but to little success, with the forward scoring just one in 868 league minutes.
That stretch was basically Lopez’s only stint with the team. He went on to go on loan to Banfield the following year in 2022 where he only played 415 minutes and did not score. He had one substitute appearance for Atlanta United this season in a 6-1 loss to the Columbus Crew.
It remains uncertain what mechanism is being used to terminate the contract. MLS allows teams one “buyout” per year, with Atlanta already having used their 2023 buyout on Josef Martinez. But however it happens, this is the end of the road for Lopez in Atlanta.