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AMB Sports and Entertainment (AMBSE) introduced its new President of Soccer this morning. The press conference for Mauricio Culebro, the former Chief Operating Officer of the Mexican Football Federation, and a 20-plus-year veteran of football operations, took place inside the Arthur M. Blank Family Office.
A quiet man wearing a navy-blue and sky-blue shirt, Culbero took questions from the media after being introduced by AMBSE CEO Rich McKay and AMBSE VP of Executive Strategy Josh Blank.
“What Arthur Black has built here has created an ecosystem like no other in the world,” said Culbero, who told the media that he has been in town for a week and has been able to see both FIFA World Cup matches at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“I have seen why Atlanta is the epicenter of soccer in the United States,” he said.
Culebro said local soccer supporters can be sure he would put all of his experience to work for the better of both clubs. He said he also understands the passion for soccer in this city, which seems to have waned a bit as Atlanta United is mired in a slump. The crowds at Atlanta United matches were once as lively and loud as the ones Culebro saw while watching Spain, Cabo Verde, and Saudi Arabia, for example.
As president of soccer, Culbero will be in charge of the operations for both Atlanta United and the forthcoming Atlanta National Women’s League franchise. He was one of dozens of applicants for the job, according to McKay, who said Sportsology conducted the search. That list was narrowed down to a top five, then to two, and ultimately, Culbero was chosen.
“It was a pretty thorough search, and we felt like this is a very critical hire,” McKay said.
Blank called the job of president of soccer, “a very unique role for us.”
Culebro has experience running men’s and women’s clubs in Mexico, thus making him the right man for the job in Atlanta, according to Blank, who said there were four key factors to hiring a president of soccer for both clubs. The factors: Culbero’s overall experience, how to expand Atlanta’s already large soccer footprint, experience with women’s soccer, and a value-based candidate.
“Mauricio checked all of our core values,” Blank said.
One of the most important decisions Culbero will make in the coming weeks, during the FIFA World Cup, and while the Major League Soccer season is on a break, will be who the next chief soccer officer for the NWSL Atlanta team will be.
“At the end of the day, I know how this works,” said Culbero. “At the end of the day, we’re a soccer team, and the results have to come on the pitch.”
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