David Tenney departs Atlanta United for Real Salt Lake

Atlanta United have completed a front-office move, with Dave Tenney departing the club to take on a newly created senior role with Real Salt Lake.

Tenney joined Atlanta United in December 2024 as Director of High Performance, bringing with him an extensive background in sports science and performance leadership across MLS and the NBA. His appointment was part of the club’s ongoing effort to modernize and integrate its performance and player health infrastructure.

Real Salt Lake announced Tenney on January 16, 2026 as its Senior Director of Player Health & Performance, a newly established position within the club’s front office. The role centralizes oversight of sports science, strength and conditioning, athletic training, nutrition, mental health, and medical protocols across RSL’s full pyramid, including Real Salt Lake, Utah Royals FC, Real Monarchs, and the Academy.

According to reporting from Doug Roberson, Real Salt Lake paid Atlanta United $100,000 in exchange for Tenney’s release. This move reflects the growing market value MLS clubs place on senior performance staff. While player transactions dominate headlines, this move underscores how league mechanisms increasingly apply to technical and medical leadership roles as well.

Tenney arrives in Utah following five seasons with Austin FC and prior stops with the Orlando Magic, Seattle Sounders, and Sporting KC. His hiring aligns with RSL’s broader push toward vertical integration, placing health and performance decision-making under a single executive structure for the first time.

Tenney’s departure leaves an opening within an Atlanta United department that has become more publically visible. In the short term, the role will be filled by the club Chief Medical Officer, Dr. R. Amadeus Mason, assistant professor of orthopaedics and family medicine at Emory Healthcare.

How the club addresses the role in the long term may offer insight into its next phase of organizational alignment beyond the first team touchline.