ATLANTA (July 24, 2023) — Atlanta United 2 today announced it has signed midfielder Matías Gallardo via transfer from River Plate for the remainder of the 2023 season and defender Chris Gloster via loan from MLS. The club has a team option for 2024 on Gallardo.
Gallardo, 19, joins ATL UTD 2 on a free transfer from River Plate. Gallardo is an attacking midfielder who joined River Plate’s Academy in 2014 when his father, Marcelo Gallardo, was named manager of the First Team. He worked his way through the Academy and made his First Team debut as a second half substitute on March 25, 2023, in a 4-3 friendly win against Chilean team Universidad de Chile. Gallardo has played with River Plate’s reserve team the past couple of seasons.
Gloster, 22, last played for New York City FC where he went on to make 15 appearances across all competitions in the 2021 and 2022 seasons. His first start of last season came on Feb. 2 against Santos de Guálipes in the Concacaf Champions League where he played 17 minutes and completed 100% of his passes. His best game of the 2022 campaign came on May 1, where the defender scored his lone goal of the year in NYCFC’s 3-0 victory over San Jose Earthquakes. The New Jersey native finished the 2022 season with one goal and one assist in 480 total minutes of playing time. Gloster had been a fixture on the U.S. youth national circuit since he was 15 years old, making a combined 60 appearances for four different teams. He represented the U.S. at both the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and the 2019 FIFA U-20 World Cup with both teams reaching the quarterfinals. Gloster also played an integral role for the U.S. in the 2018 Concacaf U-20 Championship where he was a Best XI selection, helping the U.S. win the title over Mexico.
ATL UTD 2 (6-8-5, 24 points) will return to action against Columbus Crew 2, July 28 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. (Apple TV – MLS NEXT Pro).
Player Profile
Name: Chris Gloster
Pronunciation: Chris Glah-stir
Position: Defender
Height: 6-0
Birthdate: July 28, 2000 (22)
Birthplace: Montclair, New Jersey
Citizenship: United States
Transaction: Atlanta United 2 signs Chris Gloster via loan from MLS for the remainder of the 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season.
Player Profile
Name: Matias Gallardo
Pronunciation: Ma-tea-as Ga-sh-ardo
Position: Midfielder
Height: 5-9
Birthdate: Nov. 24, 2003 (19)
Birthplace: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Citizenship: Argentina
Transaction: Atlanta United 2 signs Matias Gallardo via free transfer from River Plate for remainder of 2023 MLS NEXT Pro season with a club option for 2024.
2023 Atlanta United 2 roster (as of July 24, 2023)
Goalkeepers (2): Justin Garces^, Sebastian Guerra
Defenders (4): Fuad Adeniyi, Efrain Morales^, Nelson Orji, Chris Gloster^^
Midfielders (9): Alan Carleton, Nick Firmino, David Mejia, Emenike Nwogu, Toni Tiente, Adyn Torres, Kofi Twumasi, Jonantan Villal, Matías Gallardo
Forwards (4): Luke Brennan, Erik Centeno^, Karim Tmimi, Tyler Young
^- On loan from Atlanta United through 2023 season
^^ - On loan from MLS through 2023 season
