Atlanta United on Friday announced it has acquired Ezequiel Barco from Club Atlético Independiente of the Argentine Superleague.
An 18-year-old attacking midfielder, Barco joins Atlanta as a Young Designated Player pending the receipt of his International Transfer Certificate (ITC) and P-1 Visa.
“Securing a player of Ezequiel’s caliber is another significant moment in Atlanta United history,” said Atlanta United President Darren Eales, who was named earlier this week as executive of the year by Major League Soccer. “This transfer further demonstrates the commitment of our club to bring top level, dynamic young players to Atlanta and to MLS. We are excited to welcome Ezequiel to our club and our city.”
Barco joined Independiente’s youth academy at 15 and signed a professional contract with the club in July of 2016. In two seasons, he combined to make 57 total appearances across league, Copa Sudamericana and Copa Argentina play, scoring eight goals.
This past season, he made eight league appearances, scoring one goal and adding two assists. Most recently, Barco helped lead Independiente to the 2017 Copa Sudamericana title, defeating Brazilian side Flamengo 3-2 on aggregate in the final.
“It speaks to the type of club that we’re becoming that Ezequiel chose to sign with our club over several European competitors,” Atlanta United Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra said. “As one of the top young players in South America who has been a fixture in the Argentinian youth national team setup, we’re elated that he’s decided to continue his career in Atlanta.”
Atlanta United won a league-high five awards at Major League Soccer’s year-end Club Executive Awards. Here are the franchise's award winners:
- Doug Hamilton Executive of the Year – Darren Eales, Atlanta United
- Ticket Sales Executive of the Year – Don Rovak, Atlanta United
- Marketing Executive of the Year – Sarah Kate Noftsinger, Atlanta United
- Marketing Team of the Year – Atlanta United
- Team Administrator of the Year presented by Sportscorp Travel – Manny Tejeda, Atlanta United