Before we get into the details here, you may want to familiarize yourself with this: http://atlutd.com/atlanta-united-signs-first-player-begins-to-build-roster/.

Atlanta United FC (yes, the name is still just as awful as when it was originally announced) has signed its first player: GK Alexander Tambakis, from Panathinaikos of the Greek SuperLeague. Tambakis will be on loan to Atlanta’s USL affiliate, the Charleston Battery, for the 2016 season, as Atlanta gears up to start its MLS campaign in the summer of 2017. Tambakis is a Greek-American dual citizen and thus does not count against Atlanta’s three international player slots.

Tambakis is the first of 28 player signings ATLUTD will make in the coming months as president Darren Eales and technical director Carlos Bocanegra build the team from the ground up. In addition to fleshing out the roster, Eales and Bocanegra need to hire a head coach and staff, form the children’s Academy teams, and figure out where ATLUTD will begin its quest for the 2017 MLS Cup.

Enough about the nitpicky technical details on the signing. Here’s my unabashed, mostly-uninformed, and slightly-biased analysis:

Forget what the masses are saying; even though he wasn’t a big name like many of us wanted (see: Zlatan and Rooney to ATL rumors), Tambakis is a good first signing. He’s young and has trained with a team that regularly competes for the Greek SuperLeague title. He might not have much experience in the pros; however, Tambakis brings with him experience on the Greek U-19 team and with the Dutch team VVV-Venlo, and a year of American soccer in Charleston and an offseason with the (hopefully) skilled training staff in Atlanta should help him become one of MLS’s best young goalkeepers in 2017.

This is a milestone in Atlanta United history. The team’s first signing sets the tone for how Eales and Bocanegra will put together the starting XI for the team’s inaugural season in 2017. I’m very excited to see what this duo can do for Atlanta and can’t wait to pick up a Tambakis jersey when ATLUTD announces their kits later this year.