Atlanta United announced that Vice President of Soccer Operations Paul McDonough has accepted the position of Sporting Director at Miami MLS. The two clubs reached an agreement allowing McDonough to end his current contract with Atlanta, effective August 4. The terms of the agreement were undisclosed.

“Paul recently informed the club of his decision to accept an offer to become the Sporting Director at Miami MLS. Paul played a critical role in the building of our club and we are very appreciative of his hard work and dedication in making Atlanta United a success.  We wish him and his family all the best moving forward,” Atlanta United President Darren Eales said. “With Paul’s impending departure, we’ve immediately begun a search to identify and evaluate potential candidates for the position. We’ll conduct a thorough interview process to ensure we find the right replacement.”

McDonough joined the club as Director of Soccer Operations on Dec. 16, 2015 and was promoted to Vice President on Oct. 13, 2017 during Atlanta’s impressive first-year campaign that saw the club become the first expansion team to reach MLS Cup Playoffs since 2009 and second since 1998. Along with Eales and Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra, McDonough played an important role in assembling the club’s inaugural roster that became one of the most prolific attacks in MLS history as the club finished tied for fifth all-time in goals scored in a single-season (70) and fourth all-time in goal differential (+30).

“It’s been a pleasure working alongside Paul for the past three years, and we wish him the best of luck in Miami,” Bocanegra said. “We are in a good place at this point in the season, and our focus continues to be to perform at the highest level and work toward our ultimate goal of winning championships.” 

McDonough’s responsibilities included helping to identify and recruit players through various acquisition mechanisms, in addition to managing salary cap restrictions. McDonough also helped oversee the day-to-day operations at the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground.