The Gonzalo Pineda era at Atlanta United has come to an end.
The club announced on Monday that it had parted ways with the embattled head coach, a day after a 3-2 loss against Charlotte FC. Through 107 matches across all competitions, Pineda’s record was 38W-41L-29D. Eugenio Villazon and Diego de la Torre are also gone, and Rob Valentino will take over as interim coach.
The former Seattle Sounders assistant under Brian Schmetzer was brought in after the sacking of Gabriel Heinze partially due to his experience as a player and coach in MLS. Atlanta did make a playoff appearance in 2021 but was ravaged by a rash of injuries in Pineda’s first full season in 2022, missing the postseason altogether while Josef Martinez left the club on acrimonious terms.
Despite entering 2023 with promise, Atlanta exhibited an alarming inability to close out matches, costing it dearly in the standings. New arrivals midseason gave the team a bit of a spark but it papered over the cracks within their structure as they fell to Columbus in the first round.
Still, the 2024 season saw cautious optimism behind a great 2023 from Giorgos Giakoumakis; Thiago Almada’s return; the arrival of Bartosz Slisz, Dax McCarty, and Stian Gregersen; and a clear goal of a top-four spot by season’s end.
But in 2024, injuries notwithstanding, it became clear that a change was needed in the technical area. Pineda, for all of his confidence that things would change for the better, could not motivate his team to achieve consistent results. And his fate was indeed sealed after the Five Stripes’ record fifth straight home loss.
Now, a global search will take place for Atlanta’s fifth permanent head coach in eight seasons.
[…] With the Cruz Azul offer along with an ill-timed poor run of form for Atlanta United – not to mention the firing of head coach Gonzalo Pineda – the transfer to Mexico may be exactly what benefits everyone. Giakoumakis gets paid, as he […]
[…] Gonzalo Pineda out as Atlanta United head coach […]
Hey Boca, I hear the Rangers could use some help still… I wouldn’t be mad about you ruining their roster for years to come
Our roster is fine.
Sorry, should’ve prefaced that the current roster is good. I’m talking about the fiasco Lagerwey and co inherited and needed to clean up.
Garth’s meet the fans event on Sunday was very intentional. I’m sure that helped push the decision forward when he heard discontent and frustration directly from the fans. Good to see that he values the voice of the customer. Let’s hope we see that reflected in the hire.
Focus everything on USOC for now, get a CCL slot so 2025 AU has everything possible to succeed.
Hope that I am wrong but my sense is we lose to Indy Eleven.
I hate to say it, but an org that has so little faith in our fans that they put it in Kennesaw without even trying to see how it would sell in MBS is an org that probably deserves to not win USOC.
I don’t understand why all these games aren’t at the small club stadium…..Atlanta United at Indy Eleven is a big deal.
Lol
I meant for them. At their stadium.
MLS wants to take their sides out of the tournament altogether. Telling them that they need to travel for it when they’re top seeded wouldn’t fly.
which is dumb in a whole other way
Pascal Jansen would be worth a look if Norwich pass on him. Similar for Ramon Diaz but he may butt heads with the FO
[…] Gonzalo Pineda out as Atlanta United head coach […]
Okay, so this is very unlikely and I’m not sure that this is realistic or fits ATL but Eric Ten Hag and Jurgen Klopp are both out there so… I mean just saying :/
I can’t argue with this. Being tactically obliterated at half by Dean Smith’s adjustments is a legit last straw.
I caution against hiring a bright shiny name that will not succeed in MLS.
The depressing thing is I would caution against hiring basically anyone because we’ve tried almost all of the MLS coaching stereotypes unsuccessfully.
It gets to a point where maybe the issues are bigger than the coach.
Meh. The roster construction is currently fine. GG wants out and I see little reason not to cash him in and get a new starter up top this window. Otherwise I like the squad’s build right now.
As for coaches, I have no idea who they should hire. I’m sure an ocean of virtual ink will be spilled with opinion writers and hot-take commenters telling us why this guy is right, or that guy is not. But me? I’m far enough along in my life as a sports fan to acknowledge the things I don’t know. Garthaway and team will interview and pursue a coach. I will try to understand what he wants to do when he’s announced. Otherwise, not my job description.
I just mean that, to your point, there isnt an obvious choice to unite the fans because there’s plenty of reason to distrust basically any candidate until the team performs well over an extended period of time.
One phrase that Lagerway used (as quoted in the Athletic, not here) is that he was hired to separate what of the AU hype was “real, vs fantasy.” That’s a blunt description of his role that I haven’t seen socialized publicly before.
Send Tata a blank check.
Who wants yesterday’s papers?
Me
Sure, because he’s going to want to leave the Messi and co. dream team to deal with a multi-year rebuilding effort in Georgia in his sixties.
“Fire Boca” is probably about a million times more important to Tata than “Show me the money”.
From the official announcement: “A global search for a new permanent head coach will commence tomorrow. There is no timetable for filling the role” (italics mine).
That’s good to hear. I’m no under any illusions that they’re going to get someone the caliber of Jurgen Klopp, but we can definitely do better than a career assistant from MLS.
I agree Josh. My guess (and hope is that) they did not wait for this announcement today to take place first, for them to start beginning their external global search. Unless they hoped for a potential 360 degree turnaround from Gonzalo Pineda.
It would be negligent by the FO if they didn’t have at least a list of potential candidates at any given time, but particularly in the last year of a manager’s contract.
Agree 100%
Here’s the problem, Josh, which was the exact same issue in 2021 when Pineda was hired… Boca is done giving up control over the players to his managers. Tata had huge input into who came here and that’s why Boca did that idiotic teardown/rebuild after 2019 – so when we won, he (Boca) would get all the credit. FdB had little input into who came and Heinze had some but probably less than Tata levels. Heinze had to have some as a condition of taking the job. Pineda had none outside of maybe asking for Ozzie Alonso. This is how Boca wants it to be. I can’t imagine any decent coach agreeing to work here with Boca being his boss and being obsessed with getting the all the credit for winning and not wanting input on players to get.
I am totally surprised that Garth actually said he’ll lead the coaching search because my theory was that Garth doesn’t care about anything except drawing a pay check and NOT doing real work. So prove me wrong, Garth, and find a manager who won’t be Boca’s thrall and will have real input on the team.
I think you’re the only one that thinks that about Garth. Every move he’s made since he arrived has been a move in the right direction, imo.
That guy has zero information or knowledge to back up his assertions. Nothing but baseless hating.
He’s been wrong about pretty much everything since Lagerwey took over. I’m still waiting on the link where Lagerwey said his goal is to slash salary spending. Just downvote and scroll on.
I don’t see Garth hiring a manger without Bocas input then giving control of that manager to Boca. I’m leaning more toward Boca getting less and less control with Garth taking over.
Had to be done, but this is now officially another lost season.
Maybe. It really depends on who we bring in and how quickly. The odds are certainly against us from a mathematical standpoint, but get into the playoffs and anything can happen.
Maybe, if they bring in a manager. I’m sure we’ll have a sugar rush for a few matches with Valentino, but unless he’s a great church just waiting for another chance, I imagine things will still be a bit rocky. This team needs long-termdirection, not temporary babysitting.
Not really. It’s mathematically possible, but they needed three points and to take three points away from CLT yesterday. I think it’s a reasonable flipping point, but leadership should be looking for a qualified candidate as long as it takes. 2024 is done. Move GG and reset the clock.
Actually it did not have to be done, they chose to do it based on some vocal fans. It would have benefited the team and franchise more to allow him to finish the season.
why?
Typically minimal benefit outside of a near-term performance bounce in some cases, which doubt we’ll see in this case, and likely the opposite. Culture, commitments to commitments and plans. Waiting until post-season maximizes the chances of salvaging something from this season (given this case specifically). Little preventing an organization from interviewing new coaches and exploring new possibilities with a coach in place..wrt comment below and GL comments, pretty unlikely a new coach is selected before the end of the season so nothing gained in terms of a new coach. Could be wrong but think we’ll know “why” over the next month or two and then no need for conjecture.
Other than it allows us to be completely unconstrained in our coaching search at the peak of coach availability and provide us the opportunity to get aligned with said coach’s tactics to align player transfers with said tactics prior to the start of next season. In my opinion, this is more about giving us the proper runway for next year, rather than the bounce for this year.
Yeah…I don’t think you can interview coaches while you currently have a coach. I guess you could do what Bayern did, and announce you were parting at the end of the season. And then look. But that’s pretty weird.
Per this season, it comes down to a basic question. Do you think the odds are better that we get a new coach bounce and make the playoffs? Or that we make the playoffs with Pineda?
Given the last month, I’ll take new coach bounce 10 / 10.
You also have to wonder…how happy will pineda be if we dump GG and possibly Almada and don’t replace them? because we want the new coach to recruit a bunch of talent? interim coach is happy to have the job. old coach complains about being shorted.
Disagree. This gives us plenty of time to interview many coaches, shortlist a few and once we select the right one, gives us plenty of time to train with new coach.
I think it was a lot more about 5 straight losses at home and only 1 win in like 10 games, more so than people upset on this blog. But that’s just me thinking that Garth doesn’t take direction from blog comments. Call me crazy.
Did I say because of comments on this blog? No. If you think the hostility and vitriol from some fans didn’t play a part in that decision, then yes, would call you crazy.
Of course fan sentiment played a part. They are in the business of selling tickets and merchandise. When you have a growing open revolt and your core fan base is literally drifting away from you in real time, you need to address that. Atlanta fans expect to be a dominant force in MLS and an international brand of merit worldwide. We are *ambitious.* That ambition was being snuffed out. That had to be addressed.
The fan sentiment led to announced attendance over 61,000 at the Charlotte game. I think the fans are still engaged, and that is praiseworthy given the product on the field.
Selling tickets isn’t a problem, at least not yet. I’m not sure the boos were telling GL anything he didn’t already know.
I mean…good?
I don’t want them doing whatever the fan base says. That’s silly. But ignoring the paying customers? That’s a recipe for disaster.
You said they “chose to do it based on some vocal fans”. As if nothing else played a part in the decision.
If a team makes personnel and coaching decisions based solely upon how loud the boos get at a game, they are doomed to fail.
I mean, I feel bad for the guy, but it was just NOT working out and really never showed any signs of growth or improvement in this squad for over 3 seasons.
Best of luck to Pineda and his staff and family. We tried hard but it didnt work. Now comes probably the most important decision since AU’s debut
I wish Pineda well in his future.
He was given ample time to make things work here, but it just didn’t happen. It was past time to move on, but I’m a little surprised they went ahead and pulled the trigger now.
Boca should have hit the door with him, but the fact he’s still here says Garth thinks the results on the field are the fault of the coaches and not the players.
While I know it’s not a popular opinion, and there have been plenty of missteps, I don’t know if I look at the roster and say it’s a roster that’s incapable of winning. Therefore, I don’t know if I can look at Boca and say “you’re not delivering the coach a workable product”.
It’s a tough one because we’ve definitely had tons of misses with player contracts, but I’ve also never felt that we don’t have a roster capable of winning.
I posted this previously. The way Pineda wants to play, you need a roster that is almost impossible to assemble in MLS. You need excellent fullbacks, excellent CB’s, excellent midfielders, a great goalie and excellent attackers. Not even Miami can do it. Its too theoretical and we dont have the players to do it.
This, as much as anything else, is why Pineda has to go.
Agree that our roster is probably not that bad. And as loathe as I am to defend Boca, people forget the contributions he has made. It is not like Tata is the one who got us Parkhurst, Lawrentowicz, Gressel, and Robinson. But Boca has also clearly shown he can’t be the one dictating the terms, and needs someone overseeing him to make sure he has the right direction and access to good information.
I feel like we have a very talented roster that is built for the wrong league.
I still think we are “better” than most MLS teams in terms of footballing capability. But we just dont have the scrap factor necessary to win in MLS.
Last night is a perfect example. Tristan Muyumba is a superior footballer to Brandt Bronico. Im completely unwilling to entertain any arguments otherwise. However, Bronico has that athletic chip on his shoulder that makes him a pest, and we just dont have that.
As a result, we have to labor for every single goal, and give up soft goals.
I think a better coach can mitigate this, but only to a certain degree.
This is a league built on the attack for the casual fan. Most rosters are built for “direct” play but we hire these high level possession based coaches
The fake ultras and casual fans want to see 4-2 or 3-1 goal fest. They don’t want to see tactics or high level defensive battles
I hope going forward that we get a coach that just want to play direct.
Also you guys as fans suck!!!!
It’s a league building teams using archaic roster rules. You make a point on needing to be a bit more realistic about tactically setting up the team, but denigrating the fan base is out of touch and unnecessary. There’s a lot of knowledgeable fans here and in the fanbase in general.
I would not say most but some of them are atrocious trolls. What happens next: the rest of the season is worse and we end up with another underperforming coach because no highly qualified candidate will want to come here. Anyone who thinks someone like Klopp or Zidane would take the job lacks scruples.
Announced attendance over 61,000 for the Charlotte game says the opposite. Guessing your favorite team is Orlando. It would explain the trolling.
I think Dax brings a lot of the missing scrap factor, and I love him as a signing. Issue is, when Slisz is here, there’s nowhere for Dax
Dax has the composure to find an outlet in tight areas but he clearly doesnt have the legs to keep up with a more athletic team in a box to box game. He is part of the reason we got burned in transition against Charlotte.
Thats just to say, I think he is an extremely valuable player. I also think we are screwed if we are relying on him to be our scrap factor that makes athletic plays to win second balls.
He’s certainly not someone you want to rely on for 90 minutes, probably more of a last 20 guy to close out a game
We’re definitely not maximizing results with our talent level. Supposedly we are MLS+ at every starting position. The record doesn’t show it.
This was long overdue.
Dear Atlantistas: it is not a happy thing to part ways with a coach who seemed to be a nice person. Clubs need to think of themselves, and their team, and the fans. A coach is a lot more than someone who knows his football.
This was a choice that seemed weak to me a long time ago, and it took long for the FO to reach the conclusion that it was time to change, too long, and the fact that no comment here regrets the decision is strong evidence of this. Consensus is very unusual in football.
I would like Atlanta to do what it needs to do. This is not a time for experimentation. Find a solid, foreign, successful coach. Portugal has amazing coaches, Spain, Argentina, also. A think Atlanta needs a big name, who will bring the mojo, and respectability to the club, along with access to a good talent pool worldwide.
Good luck. This is the best thing that could happen to the club right now.
Your last requirement for the manager is the most important…..access to a worldwide talent pool.
Tata might not be the best tactician on earth, and is probably too rigid in his game to game planning. However, he is by far and away the best recruiter in MLS, and there is no more important job for a manager in this league.
That would be my sales pitch to a Poch or whoever – this is the only league in the world where your recruiting talent and connections can win you games before you even step onto the field.
I think you have two ways to go. Become a competitive MLS team, like Columbus, or Cincinnatti, or go the global way, like Miami, or LAFC (or NYC, when they get a stadium). With this spending limit in MLS, you need to choose. Going global means having access to a much larger, and in many cases, less costly talent pool. Staying domestic will probably please a lot of US fans, who don´t really care about their team playing world class football.
Either way, what fans really want is to see their team win. Since I am not a US fan, I want to see good football, like Atlanta with Tata, or current Miami. Cincinnatti, and Columbus are just not attractive, even if they win. Miami can be great to watch, even when they lose. Miami provides us with sublime moments, and that is so much what makes football different.
Well, I just hope Atlanta chooses well, so you can feel proud of your team again.
I think you need to restart. The current roster – aside from three, maybe four players, have no personality, or identity whatsoever. That is what needs to change, really. A team, a club, needs a culture. What is your culture, dear Atlantistas?
Right now the product on the field bears a resemblance to the “culture” you see coming out the other end after a large meal of bad Mexican fast food. Hopefully that’s not a result of overrated talent rather than poor coaching.
To be fair to the FO, our decision maker left and changed basically when the most opportune time to make the change would’ve been. Then the new guy needed to see everything himself, and was focused on the more obvious roster changes first.
Not saying I agree or disagree, just that there is a plausible reason for the FO to take long on the change-over.
I don’t care where the coach is from as long as they are good and gives us exciting soccer to watch. I don’t even care if they are past MLS coaches, given last year’s MLS winner (Columbus) and this year’s other Supporter’s Shield contender (Cincinatti) were MLS assistants.
That’s definitely true. There are great managers over here.
however
Hiring a globally famous coach that can pull players you would otherwise not get, that otherwise would not come to this league, gives you an enormous tactical advantage….the kind of tactical advantage we haven’t had since we just outspent everybody in 17-19.
I don’t disagree. I just think treating all of this as has to be this way or that is reductive. You could make arguments that the two coaches before Pineda fit that mold, and that didn’t change our dismal outcomes. Now would I have more worries if we went for an MLS assistant/veteran vs. a more well established name. Yes. But I’m not going to act like outcome is certain just because we hired some big name from overseas. MLS is a weird league, and it is hard to make predictions.
Like consider MLS cup winners since we joined the league in 2017. Only two were overseas talent (Tata for us, Delia for NYCFC). And while I love Tata, you can say a lot went out way 2018. Specifically that the coaches of our two biggest competitors left mid season (Marsch for NYRB, and Viera for NYCFC).
very fair. you shouldn’t limit your search or your options.
Also, we can buy down Gregerson to free up a DP spot, correct? And if Giako goes…
almada too
Garth said we can’t buy down Gregerson, fwiw
We can’t buy him down right now. He may be able to be bought down in the offseason.
I think what most people here overlook is that I don’t think coming to AU is the type of job that attracts the coach that you all are having wet dreams about…
I think folks should be realistic about the caliber of coach that is willing to accept a role in the MLS, with a mid-bottom tier club that plays soccer in a football stadium on artificial turf.
Not without spending a lot of money at least.
Yes, big money solves a lot of problems. But AB is not splashing the level of cash that big European clubs do. Simply not going to happen
Unfortunately I agree, and am not sure why you are getting downvoted. The only thing the club has going for it is that attendance hasnt fallen off a cliff and facilities are nice.
Because you’re saying AB won’t spend the money to sign a top global manager.
Tata was the highest paid manager in the league. I have no doubt they would do it again.
I’m a little surprised, just because Garth’s interview last week sounded like he was going to wait longer. Some key points he makes from his interview:
he notes that coaching changes midseason don’t tend to make a big differencehis 16 seasons with RSL/Seattle, he didn’t cut the coach, but still made the playoffshe tends to be slower on the triggerhe thinks it’s about 80% roster 20% coachingMy personal conjecture:
Given how analytical and methodical he’s been, there’s no way he doesn’t have a plan. I strongly suspect that similar to how wants to be active with roster changes in the summer for most options from the rest of the world, I think he’s doing the same thing with coaching. It would also surprise me if he doesn’t already have pretty good ideas of who he’s going after to be the next coach. If nothing else, he would’ve had to be thinking about this for the end of the year anyway.
So, any coaches who are more likely to be free this summer that we could nab? I know Gallardo just recently took the job in Saudi Arabia, but do we still have any connections to him?
Gallardo was fired, so he is technically a free agent now.
So there’s one prime candidate. As far as I can tell his son is still with AU2, so that seems like a pretty high possibility.
This was probably just as much a business decision as a sporting decision. Yes, Pineda needed to go because this is a losing team. But I’ve never seen so few people at a fully opened mbs. For most teams, it was an admirable crowd, but this was such a far cry from just a few years ago. And it’s likely to get worse.
FINALLY WE ARE FREE FROM THE SHACKLES OF MEDIOCRITY AND MISERY AND MISMANAGEMENT!
Not so fast. Boca is still here.
Dag, I forgot about him…
He may not be. Based on Lagerwey’s comments, the buck is at least going to stop with Garth on the final say for the new coach. He also kind of sidestepped the questions about Boca’s involvement in finding a coach. Lagerwey was also publicly critical of the cap hell AUFC was in when he got here. Lagerwey may be content to let Boca do other facets of the job or has found a way to work with Boca that avoids the big swings and misses that jammed us up.
Or he’s just waiting to make that move later so he doesn’t have too many holes to fill/problems to fix at once. He can kind of manage Boca’s problems or shortcomings from his seat better than Pineda’s.
He seems to like Boca’s ability to “close” with players – getting them to sign on the line which is dotted. That’s fine, as long as Boca has nothing to do with choosing which players to ask.
And if Boca has nothing to do with (or at least not the final say) choosing players, then he’s not really doing the job described by his title, is he?
Are we though…are we??
The players certainly are to blame and the FO has it’s share as well. We shall see in the coming months their respective responsibilities for this shitty play.
Yeah, no. There is a possibility that things improve but it could absolutely be worse.
Wait, why were Diego de la Torre and Villazon let go? I really liked De la Torre.
Usually head coaches bring in their own assistants and they generally follow them when they change teams.
why wasn’t Boca package together with him?
Maybe Im reading too much into it but GL said something like “as we continue to evaluate all aspects of our sporting operation.” In my mind, that means thats a decision that could happen in the very near to somewhat near future.
Because whether the #bocaout brigade wants to admit it, he has shown vast improvement in his job performance since GL arrived. He isn’t a bad TD but he needed more support and direction than he got from Eales.
Well, it sure seems like Lagerwey is the driving force behind the moves made since he arrived. I have no real issues with the moves made since GL showed up. They all make sense and I like the guys we brough in on the contracts they came in on. Everyone fits the mold of guys Lagerwey has said he ideally targets. Maybe Boca is learning from him, or maybe Boca brings Lagerwey guys and GL has final say. And maybe we just lacked a clear ethos for identifying guys with upside but also high floors. Either way, I’m fine with the direction of the roster. Hopefully GL has the same influence on the coaching search (and I think he will).
FWIW, I was very much on the BocaOUT bandwagon. With GL running things, I’m more “whatever” about Boca.
Doug Roberson tweeted out saying he doesn’t think Boca will be part of the coaching search based on the press conference by GL
Yeah, I just saw that. That’s good. I wouldn’t be surprised if Boca is let go later or moves on “of his own volition” after the season. Lagerway might want to just focus on the coaching search and some summer moves at this point.
I bet when US Soccer moves here Boca makes a move.
I could see that happening.
Different philosophies. Eales was buy low, sell high, take some risks, hopefully get some huge payoffs and, while your at it, win if you can. But mainly buy low and sell high.
Lagerway seems more moneyball to me. More conservative. Find good players at fair price.
I think most people would do better in the second scenario. Sure, we probably won’t have another Almada, but we also probably won’t have another Barco or Pity or Araujo either.
I wouldn’t rule out big DP signings entirely, but I do agree Lagerwey wants to build a roster that isn’t going to restrict moves in the same way we got jammed up after 2018/2019. He handed out some pretty big deals to DPs in Seattle. He does prioritize guys in their “prime age” so 23-28 (give or take for positions). So I doubt we see a bunch of really young guys getting huge transfer fees and big contracts while he is here.
The vast improvement may be directly related to having less decision-making authority on who we try to sign. I don’t know for sure, but it seems like Boca has less involvement in choosing whom to go after, but he’s there to talk the guy into signing.
I can’t believe they actually did it! I mean….it’s obviously the correct choice. But wow. I didn’t think they had the gumption.
I was at the game yesterday with a couple of guys who played soccer at a high level, and the discussion on the basic mistakes in tactics was rather embarrassing.
Would love to read a post or comment from you elaborating on this.
I also would like to read your friends comments on the game Thanks
It’s not wildly tactically complicated….
why aren’t these guys moving into the spaces the defense is giving?
why aren’t the attacking players dropping to play defense?
why aren’t the defenders shifting to stop the ball and cover runners?
why aren’t the defenders communicating on open runners?
why aren’t we playing the open ball over the fullbacks?
why aren’t there any free defenders to attack the ball on set pieces?
why don’t we have attackers outside the box opening space on our set pieces?
why aren’t we playing long switches to pull pressure off the congested side of the field?
There was more. But we really started hammering the beers after the shift to 4-2-3-1. They immediately said we’re going to score but won’t stop anything.
Thanks. I don’t think they were wrong about any of that.
I’m not surprised. The Miami game was a fluke IMO and they just reverted to their former form. Pineda just couldn’t match players to what he wanted and wasn’t able to adapt away from his system. I think he was a good person and probably an excellent assistant coach but he’s not ready for the head job. They have him a lot of time.
While I’m glad this happened, as I’ve been waiting for it for almost 3 years now, I also have mixed feelings on the future. So much is in the open now. Do we unload Almada and GG and clean house? Are we gonna try for Open Cup? What kind of coach are we gonna for? I guess change is always scary, even when you are at rock bottom.
Well even if we keep GG and Almada, we are looking at a significant stretch without Almada, Slizs, Saba, and Wiley due to international duty.
Bleh.
I was thinking more along the lines if we wanted to make a serious push for Open Cup. As much as I love Valentino, I am viewing the MLS season as done.
Oh my friend this ain’t rock bottom. A few decisions and slightly more clinical finishing and team is flying. When we have no DPs, nobody wants to come to the club as a player or manager, the locker room is a mess, home attendance doesn’t fill the lower bowl, and we’ve missed the playoffs several years running, then we can talk about rock bottom.
I hope the next guy is a seasoned, non-MLS, veteran coach. No nice guys need apply.
I do love Pineda as a person, but this is for the best.
Good, he seems to be a great guy and the players were very obviously playing hard for him, they were very obviously fighting hard knowing what was coming. But it just wasn’t working, we constantly looked outnumbered all over the field. Now what?
Basically the same thing. The roster is the roster, you’re down to two coaches from 5 so training will not be as specialized. The likely scenario is that the team goes back to far more basic tactics and play. It might work for a few games, but against any competent team out will be trying to grind out any result they can.
Lagerwey is serious. This was the time it makes sense to make the move and the results have been nowhere good enough. Go get a winner, Garth!
The only thing is there is no timetable currently. And the announcement mentions Valentino coaching the second half. This makes it seem that there are no plans to try and get someone in the summer window. With this, I wouldn’t be surprised if we unload Almada and GG, and try to get to a clean slate for next season.
The announcement (at least the email sent to STH) just says Valentino will be interim, I don’t see anywhere it says he’s locked in for the whole second half of the season. Hopefully that’s not going to be the case.
It was the official announcement in the website: https://www.atlutd.com/news/atlanta-united-part-ways-with-head-coach
But it looks like they updated it, because now it just says Valentino will begin coaching immediately as opposed to be coaching for the second half.
It still mentions no time table though.
If it takes longer to get the right guy, then that’s what they should do. Don’t rush the hire.
They season is lost. Gone.
Take your time and bring in a number one guy.
And, like I said, if it takes 15-20 a year to bring in Poch (or a dude his level), you do it.
They can still make playoffs, after which anything *could* happen, but they basically need to win at least 10 of the remaining 18 games to get to that point.
The hope I have that the turnaround could be faster is that I think it’s probable that Lagerwey has been preparing for this possibility even as soon as last year.
Totally agree. But if the right person is available now there’s no reason to wait until the end of the season. Getting it right is obviously the most important factor.
also true
I mean, who knows? They could have been targeting their guy for weeks, and just waited until the losses matched up to the new coach being available.
I wasn’t referring to rushing the hire as opposed to more if it looks like they will clean house because of no coach. Even if MLS is still lost, we technically still have somewhat of a viable path for Open Cup. On the other hand, it could be good to have a coach come in that has an option to fill 2 DP spots, and possibly 3 when Stian bought down.
Someone has to be the interim until a new HC is hired. Whether we hire someone in the summer window or not will be an indicator of how long Garth has been thinking about letting Pineda go.
If we start interviewing people almost immediately, that tells you Garth’s been compiling a candidate list for awhile.
It is not about having Valentino. I like Valentino and I liked how we played under him (even if it was high risk). My questions were more related to how long Valentino may be coaching and what tools he has at his disposal during that time. While likely MLS season is lost, there is still Open Cup. On the other hand, we definitely have GG offer now, and possible Alamada offers. Do you sell them to give gour next coach the possibility of having their own pick for 3 DPs (assuming Stian will get bought down).
Yeah, I get that. My reply was really about the timetable and not about Valentino. I’m pretty indifferent about who the interim is because I don’t think it will matter much.
Can’t Almada walk on his own after this year? If so, I’d have to think we’ll move him (hopefully for a profit) rather than keep him here for the remainder of a lost season and let him walk for nothing.
With GG, if he’s genuinely unhappy here, sell him IMHO. I’d rather not have a malcontent on the roster. Saw a couple of articles suggesting that he has a history of asking for new deals after good seasons and being unhappy when the team doesn’t play ball with him on that – supposedly that happened with Celtic?
Not sure if selling those two is about giving a new coach input on 3 DPs or more about necessity due to contracts and player attitude. Time will tell.