MARIETTA, Ga. – They may be preparing for just their second MLS season, Atlanta United already completed the largest transfer in league history when they acquired 18-year-old Ezequiel Barco from Independiente.
That latest early milestone wasn't lost on Atlanta technical director Carlos Bocanegra as he officially introduced Barco to the city’s media on Thursday night.
“The signing of Ezequiel speaks to the style of player we’re looking to bring into the club: young and attacking-minded,” Bocanegra said. “He’s got some flair. He’s a very young, dynamic player.”
Barco signed for a reported $15 million, topping the $10 million Toronto FC reportedly paid for US national team captain Michael Bradley in 2013. And Barco's player profile is unlike anything the league has seen when you combine his age with the fee paid.
“Yes, he came with a big price tag that everyone is aware of, but I don’t think it’s fair to put all the pressure on the world on him,” Bocanegra said. “He’s 18 years old. He comes in and we expect him to be a factor and definitely be a dynamic factor to help the team out.
“We all need to realize he’s still 18 and another piece of the puzzle. He’s going to be a great piece of the puzzle we hope. We don’t want him to come in with the expectations being that he needs to score 20 goals and put the whole team on his back. We feel like we’ve got a strong team and he’s another very good piece of the puzzle to come in and push us forward.”
So what was it like navigating the waters of a tricky transfer and beating out competition from interested suitors on a global scale?
“It was a long process,” Bocanegra said. “(Barco) was excellent throughout the whole process.
“He was a young player who was starting to come on to the scene globally. We watched him a little bit in the summer time and then we went down (around September) and spent some time with him.
“We went to his game, we went to dinner and really just tried to get to know him as a person more than anything; what kind of character he has, what’s he like off the field. We spent some time with him there and kept following him.
“We then made another trip down there (Argentina) towards the end of the year to really try to start getting negotiations going so we could close it out. Obviously we were finally able to do so and to bring him here.”
According to Barco, the multiple trips the club made proved integral in making up his mind and choosing Atlanta.
Barco will have the tough task of replacing Yamil Asad, who recently completed his move to D.C. United, in his first season. Asad scored Atlanta’s first-ever goal and proved a productive asset to the team with seven goals and 13 assists in 2017.
Bocanegra made clear Barco is not necessarily a like-for-like replacement.
“That will ultimately come down to Tata Martino on the field when he’s putting his team selection together," Bocanegra said. "Obviously the overall strategy and bringing Barco in was more about having another dynamic attacking player.
“He can play from the left, he can come inside. He can play in the center, he can play on the right. He can play all across the middle which we like about him. He’s diverse, but he’s shifty. He combines well. We think his style of play matches up well with the Miguels, Josefs and the other players we have in our attack to create good combinations and unbalance defenses.”
