Former Celtic star Giorgos Giakoumakis faces a work permit sweat to make his Atlanta debut as he once again had a pop at the Scottish Premiership.
But the Greek hitman can't wait to get started because he claims he will enjoy playing in a more competitive league than Scotland. Giakoumakis was unable to play for his new club in a friendly against St. Louis because of red tape and is sweating on the paperwork coming through on time ahead of their season opener on Sunday against San Jose Earthquakes. He aimed a dig at the Scottish Premiership when he left after his £4.3 million move from Celtic because of the lack of competition and he doubled down on his point during a pre-match interview this weekend.
He said: "I love the way they do it here. It seems like America loves the game of football. And one of the big attractions for me is that the MLS is a very competitive league. There are always different champions every season. It's a competitive league, it's an aggressive league and that's something I really like.
"So far everything has been amazing, everyone at the club has been so warm towards me and straight away I feel like I belong here. In fact, since I landed here, I felt like I had been here for months. I am a confident guy and I invite our fans to come and watch me. My strengths are that I work hard and I will score goals for the team. My experience in football has helped me a lot and will it easier for me.
"I have had some overcome some hurdles in my career and that has helped me be even more confident. You have to believe in yourself."
But he still has to be awarded a permit before the big kick off next week and the club's CEO Garth Lagerwey said: "We are really excited about the signing, but we are still waiting on his work permit. We are hopeful we will be ok to be eligible for opening day."
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