Defender Mikey Ambrose returns to Atlanta United in free agent signing

Atlanta United announced Tuesday the club has signed free agent defender Mikey Ambrose.

The El Paso, Texas native returns to Atlanta after playing the previous season with Inter Miami CF.

“Mikey is an MLS veteran who has proven to be a reliable and versatile defender, and we’re pleased to welcome him back to our club,” Atlanta United vice president and technical director Carlos Bocanegra said. “We know we’ll be able to count on his experience and leadership to give us additional competition in our back line.”

Ambrose was a member of the Five Stripes from 2017-19, originally joining via the 2016 MLS Expansion Draft. He made 20 appearances across those three seasons in MLS, in addition to two postseason appearances for the club. The versatile defender made seven appearances in 2017, before making nine in Atlanta’s MLS Cup winning 2018 season. Ambrose has also appeared in the U.S. Open Cup and Concacaf Champions League for Atlanta.

Prior to joining Atlanta in 2017, Ambrose broke into MLS with Orlando City SC in the 2016 season. He made his MLS league debut on Aug. 20, 2016 against Colorado Rapids. In 2020, the defender made six appearances with three starts and scored his first career MLS goal in the regular season finale for expansion side Inter Miami CF.

A three-year letterman for the University of Maryland, Ambrose has represented the United States at the U-17, U-18 and U-20 levels. He made his professional debut in 2015 with the Austin Aztecs (USL) before making his MLS debut in 2016 with Orlando City.