Atlanta United have today confirmed Aiden McFadden’s loan move to USL Championship side Memphis 901 FC.
The Five Stripes and their second-tier rivals announced that the 24-year-old had joined the USL club on loan for the remainder of the 2023 season, 901 FC assistant sporting director Caleb Patterson-Sewell hugely pleased with the move.
Patterson-Sewell said: “He (McFadden’s) is a player we have had on our radar for a while, he can play in multiple positions, he is very good defensively, he likes to get forward into the attack and has had success in our league, which is important.”
Having made just 11 appearances for Atlanta, McFadden has made a good decision in going out on loan to Memphis, where regular minutes in the USL Championship could do wonders for the defender’s development.
However, at 24-years-old, the former Notre Dame right-back could feel like this move is his last chance to forge a career in MLS, with McFadden at a stage where he has to be a regular at a club.
With the USL Championship getting better every year, though, there’s every chance that McFadden could find a home for himself in the US second-tier, with Memphis a great club for the defender to test himself.
McFadden might regret not leaving Atlanta as late as he has
Departing an MLS club as big as Atlants is always hard for some players, yet for McFadden, the fullback might soon realize that he should have left the Georgia giants earlier to help his career.
Whilst the defender has made appearances for the Five Stripes, McFadden has never established himself as a regular since joining the club, and this loan move to Memphis could be huge for the 24-year-old.
The USL Championship has proven in the last few years to be an excellent training ground for MLS players looking for that extra boost in their careers, and McFadden could get just that with Memphis.