Atlanta United announced the second signing in club history on Tuesday, though the player may not be on the team when they join MLS in 2017.
Atlanta signed 27-year-old midfielder Junior Burgos and sent him on loan to NASL club Tampa Bay Rowdies for the 2016 season. The contract is a one-year deal, with Atlanta holding a club option to bring back Burgos for their inaugural MLS campaign in 2017.
Atlanta signed 23-year-old goalkeeper Alexander Tambakis as the club’s first-ever player last month. Unlike Burgos, Tambakis, who will spend 2016 on loan to the club’s USL affiliate Charleston Battery, has a multi-year deal and a guaranteed contract from MLS for the 2017 season.
“Tampa Bay was in the final stages of completing a deal for Junior so we’re pleased that we were able to work with them to acquire his rights for 2017,” Atlanta technical director Carlos Bocanegra said in a statement released by the club. “He’ll see quality playing time while on loan this season and we look forward to monitoring him.”
Burgos, 27, spent 2014 and the second half of 2015 with the NASL’s Atlanta Silverbacks, scoring seven goals in 34 total appearances with the club. Burgos, who made a pair of appearances with Toronto FC in 2012, is a member of the El Salvador national team, appearing six times for the country since making his debut in 2014.
