ATLANTA (FOX 5 Atlanta) - Reigning MLS champion Atlanta United has been named “Sports Team of the Year,” becoming only the second soccer team to win the award.
The honor was presented at the 2019 Sports Business Awards during a ceremony Wednesday in New York.
“We are truly honored,” Atlanta United President Darren Eales said in a statement released by the team. “To be named a finalist two years in a row amongst some of the top sports organizations in North America is a direct reflection of the amazing support we receive from our fans and the city of Atlanta.”
Mercedes-Benz Stadium won "Sports Facility of the Year, and Super Bowl LIII was a finalist for “Sports Event of the Year."
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The other sports team finalists were the NBA champion Golden State Warriors, NHL champion Washington Capitals, baseball’s Milwaukee Brewers, the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Thorns FC of MLS.
The Seattle Sounders are the only other Major League Soccer team to receive the award.
Here are the previous winners:
- 2018: Vegas Golden Knights
- 2017: Chicago Cubs
- 2016: Golden State Warriors
- 2015: Los Angeles Kings
- 2014: Golden State Warriors
- 2013: Oklahoma City Thunder
- 2012: Boston Bruins
- 2011: San Francisco Giants
- 2010: Seattle Sounders
- 2009: Boston Celtics
- 2008: Boston Red Sox