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Atlanta United FC

Atlanta United Re-Signs Esports Athlete Paulo Neto to Multi-Year Extension; 2024 eMLS Schedule Announced

February 6, 2024 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Atlanta United FC News Release


ATLANTA - Major League Soccer and EA SPORTS FC Pro today revealed details for the upcoming eMLS 2024 season, which includes a new competitive platform and players for 22 clubs that represent the global growth of the league. The eMLS 2024 season marks the debut of EA SPORTS FC™ 24 as the exclusive platform for all eMLS matches and its inaugural season as part of a new era of esports with FC Pro. Perficient will return as the club's Official Gaming Partner.

The competitive calendar will feature two marquee League Series events in February and March, concluding with the eMLS Cup on March 10 in Austin. Last week, Atlanta United announced it re-signed esports player Paulo Neto to represent the club in eMLS and global EA SPORTS FC competitions for 2024 and 2025. This upcoming season will mark Neto's fifth as the club's esports athlete.

"Paulo assembled yet another outstanding season last year and continues to elevate our profile in the esports community," said Skate Noftsinger, Chief Business Officer of Atlanta United. "He has been one of the strongest and most consistent eMLS players for the last two seasons, which has opened more opportunities to showcase his skills at international competitions. Paulo has been key to expanding our brand to a global audience, and we're excited he's chosen to return to the club for the next two seasons."

The season format will be as follows:

eMLS League Series 1: The 2024 season kicks off on Feb. 16 with remote qualifiers followed by the group stage on Feb. 17 and bracket final on Feb. 18.

eMLS League Series 2: The season continues March 1 with remote qualifiers, the group stage on March 2 and bracket final on March 3.

eMLS Cup:The season will conclude in Austin, with the group stage on March 9 and the fan-facing live bracket final on March 10.

The top two players within the eMLS Cup get direct bids to the inaugural FC Pro World Championship.

League Series 1 and 2 can be streamed via Atlanta United's Twitch channel (twitch.tv/atlutd), while eMLS Cup will be featured on MLS's Twitch (twitch.tv/mls) and YouTube (youtube.com/mls) channels.

Neto returns after a highly successful 2023 campaign where he won a pair of trophies. He opened the season winning the eMLS League Series 1, marking back-to-back eMLS titles after he won eMLS Cup in 2022. Neto followed that performance by winning eMLS League Series 2, becoming just the third three-time eMLS trophy winner and the first to capture trophies in two different seasons.

The Brazilian again reached the eMLS Cup Final in 2023, but fell short over the two legs to St. Louis CITY's NR7. However, Neto's deep run earned him a berth in both the FIFAe World Cup and the Global Series Playoffs. He made his fourth appearance in the FIFAe World Cup and was the only eMLS representative in the competition which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Neto also reached the semifinals of the biggest South American showcase, the CONMEBOL eLibertadores. Internationally, Neto became a World Champion when he and the Brazil eNational Team dominated the FIFAe Nations Cup, also in Riyadh, after beating the Netherlands in the final.

Atlanta United opens the MLS Regular Season when it travels to face Columbus Crew Feb. 24 at Lower.com Field (2 p.m., MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, 92.9 The Game, La Mejor). All Atlanta United matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app.

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