Atlanta United sign Amar Sejdic from CF Montreal

Atlanta United have signed midfielder Amar Sejdic from CF Montreal for $100,000 in General Allocation Money, with the potential increase of a further $50,000 if certain performance-based incentives are met by the player. 

Sejdic joined the Eastern Conference club after being selected in the second round of the 2019 MLS SuperDraft by Montreal. The 24-year old midfielder then made his Major League Soccer debut with CF Montreal in 2019 before going on to appear 22 times for the Canadian club. During his time there, he scored two goals in 1141 minutes played in all competitions. 

“We’re really pleased to add Amar to our roster and look forward to him joining the club immediately,” said Atlanta VP & technical director Carlos Bocanegra in a club statement. “He’s a smart, responsible midfielder who has recently started to come on for Montréal. He’ll add competition to our group of midfielders as we prepare for an important stretch of the season.”

The player’s speed and momentum on the pitch could potentially rescue the sinking ship that is Atlanta United, at the moment. His versatile abilities will become useful as several Atlanta United players remain sidelined due to injuries. CF Montreal executives explained the agreement as a stepping stone to greater success for the player, something the club could not selfishly halt. 

“We were happy with Amar’s work, but we received an offer from Atlanta that we accepted after discussing it internally," Montréal sporting director Olivier Renard said in a release.

"We made this decision mostly because we have a lot of players in this position, including young players that are progressing well and we don’t want to slow their momentum. It’s important to also note that Amar’s contract is ending at the end of the 2021 season with an option for next year. We thank Amar for the last three years with us and wish him good luck in his career.”

He joins Atlanta United at a crucial moment as the team suffers an availability crisis with 11 players in doubt for Thursday's match against Nashville SC. The team’s midfield has been struggling without Emerson Hyndman, who is out for the season due to a heavy ACL injury, and Franco Ibarra.

Current Atlanta United head coach Gabriel Heinze arrived in late January to lead the team but instead arrived to find a shallow and broken bench. The team currently sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference with only 12 points after 11 matches.