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MLS Ticker: Atlanta United announces training facility; Johnson ready for Canada; more

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After announcing last week that they would be scrapping plans for a training structure in DeKalb County, Atlanta United has revealed a new plan for team facilities to be built in Marietta.

The MLS expansion franchise, due to debut in 2017, made public on Wednesday an agreement with Marietta to build their headquarters and training facility in the Franklin Road Corridor.

The location is located about thirty minutes outside of the city, and construction is schedule to begin in early 2017. The project will lead to over $50 million in investment in the area, and is slated to provide 80 jobs by Atlanta United’s MLS debut.

The training site is 32 acres and will include six soccer fields alongside the team’s headquarters.  The facility will serve to train the club’s academy program alongside the first team.

Along with this new agreement, United has developed a partnership with Marietta Parks and Recreation to make multi-use fields available to the public within walking distance of the new complex.

Here are some more news items and notes from around the league:

WILL JOHNSON READY FOR CANADA

After not playing in over a month, Portland Timbers captain Will Johnson has been called up by the Canadian National Team for the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers.

Johnson underwent an operation in September to removed screws from his tibia, keeping the midfielder out of MLS playoff action so far.

But the gritty MLS star is 100% fit at precisely the right time, and it looking to make an impact for both  club and country in the coming weeks.

Canada will face off against Honduras on Friday and El Salvador on Tuesday in World Cup Qualifying, and the Timbers will take the field against FC Dallas in the first league of the Western Conference Championship on November 22 (7:30 pm ET on Fox Sports 1).

MLS STADIUMS AMONG BEST IN WORLD

English soccer publication FourFourTwo is in the process of naming the top 100 soccer stadiums to visit around the world, and four of Major League Soccer’s very own venues have made the list.

The home of the  Vancouver Whitecaps, BC Place, came in at number 95 on the list. The magazine cites the buzzing atmosphere present in Cascadia Cup matches with the Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers as a chief reason behind the stadium’s inclusion.

Keeping with the Cascadia theme, Seattle’s CenturyLink Field came in at 63rd place. The Sounders’ home venue boasts the largest crowds in MLS, and the acoustics of the stadium allow the players on the field to really feel the impact of the passion in the stands.

The Rose Bowl may no longer be the home field for LA Galaxy home games, but the southern California stadium ranked 49th on the list due its iconic history. The bowl-style venue has played host to numerous massive matches over the years, from the 1994 World Cup final to several heated rival games between the USMNT and Mexico.

Fans of the league will not be surprised to hear the highest ranked MLS stadium on the list. Providence Park, home field of the Portland Timbers, came in at number 40 on the illustrious list. The magazine gives praise to the stadium’s North End, Timber Joey, and calls the atmosphere in the Oregon venue a “cathedral-like feel.”

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What do you think about Atlanta United’s new deal? How will Johnson and Canada fare? Do you agree with the MLS stadiums that made the top 100 list?

Share your thoughts below.

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