ATLANTA – Bobby Dodd Stadium and Mercedes-Benz Stadium couldn’t be more different.
Atlanta United’s first home was built in 1913 for $15,000, is open air, and doesn’t serve draft beer. Their new one was completed a few weeks ago at a total cost of $1.5 billion, has a retractable roof, and 1,264 beers on tap. Atlanta will play their first match at the downtown venue on Sunday against FC Dallas (3:30 pm ET; FS1 in the US, MLS LIVE in Canada).
For the Atlanta United players, Mercedes-Benz Stadium, or The Benz, will also be a significant step up in terms of amenities. The Benz offers bells and whistles like a locker room tailor-made for soccer with a large hydrotherapy pool, as well as a warm-up space right next door.
However, the players do hope one feature carries over from their starter home to their modern-day sports palace: the intimate, raucous fan atmosphere they enjoyed every match day.
“At Bobby Dodd, you had everybody right on top of you, kind of really close to the sidelines,” said rookie Atlanta United midfielder Julian Gressel. “You could hear the fans quite a bit, and I hope that carries over to Mercedes-Benz.”
Gressel has become a fan favorite this season, thanks to his solid play and his active presence on social media. He’s earned one of the best nicknames in MLS — “Gresselmania” — which inspired fans to make t-shirts in his honor.
He’s been close to the fans all year, both figuratively and literally, as the field at Bobby Dodd extended right up to the front of the stands. He hopes that the feeling can be recreated at The Benz.
“I’m sure they thought of that when they built the stadium,” he said. “I know with the football that kind of presented a little challenge probably, but I hope that’ll continue in Mercedes-Benz and we’ll have the support that we’ve had at Bobby Dodd there as well.”
The soccer-specific layout at the new stadium will have a capacity similar to Bobby Dodd at 42,500, but with the roof closed, the decibel levels will reach new highs. Plus, the seating at The Benz will be expanded to 70,000-plus when the upper bowl is opened up for fans on for the Sept. 16 match against Orlando City and their final game of the regular season on Oct. 22 against Toronto FC.
No matter how many fans are in the seats, Atlanta fullback Anton Walkes hopes the quality of the support continues to be top-notch.
“The crowd, they were always loud regardless of what minute of the game,” said Walkes.
Without naming names, Walkes pointed out that in other stadiums in which he’s played, the opposing fans grew quiet when there was a lull in the action. That was never the case at Atlanta United’s old home.
“The ball will go out of play at Bobby Dodd and the crowd was still behind us, cheering us, encouraging. And that will be very useful to have in The Benz.”
