Managerial matchmaker II: Seven more head coaching candidates

Saturday’s win against the Columbus Crew notwithstanding, Atlanta United’s recent performances, combined with the mass sale of some of the team’s best players (Thiago Almada, Giorgos Giakoumakis, and Caleb Wiley) show that the club is heading for a full-on rebuild. We covered five managerial candidates last month who could be the next person to take the Atlanta job, but here are seven more candidates that could take the helm at the club and hopefully lead the team back to the top of MLS.

Neill Collins

Last Club: Barnsley FC

Collins is a very intriguing candidate with consistent success in both the United States and in Europe. In his first job with the Tampa Bay Rowdies, where he finished his playing career, he led the side to a 97-45-34 record in 176 matches from 2018 to 2023, winning USL Championship coach of the year in 2021 and taking the Rowdies to back-to-back runner-up appearances. Then, he left for Barnsley in EFL League One, whom he steered into 5th place before being sacked with one game left in the 2023-2024 season due to a winless run that caused Barnsley to fall from the automatic promotion race and have to fight to stay in the playoff places. However, many media members saw the firing as extremely harsh for what he had done with the club.

Collins’ tactics are different from what Atlanta usually employ, but this current roster would fit his style of play. He lines up his teams in a 3-5-2 (or a version of it: 3-4-1-2 or 3-1-4-2) and sometimes a 3-4-3, focusing on building out with wide center-backs and wing-backs. He builds his teams by stressing freedom of movement in the attack specifically with the No. 10, pace out wide, and switching the field of play. On defense, he deploys a high pressure system and has a strong central defender (like Stian Gregersen) that is good in the air and fits with the more mobile wide centerbacks. His tactics take what worked with Gonalo Pineda’s style of play when the ball went to wingbacks. And, it would allow more freedom for the Thiago Almada replacement and the forwards to create goal-scoring opportunities. While he never has been able to get over the hump and win a major trophy, Collins has a blueprint that could help Atlanta United get back to winning ways.

For a better breakdown of his tactics, here is a visual representation with Barnsley, along with two articles (here and here) that helped during our research on Collins that go in-depth into how he sets up his teams.

Bob Lilley

Current Club: Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

One of the most successful coaches in lower-league American soccer history, Lilley has picked up countless accolades over his years as a head coach. More recently, he turned the Pittsburgh Riverhounds from a mediocre club to the best team in the 2023 USL Championship’s regular season. Though the Riverhounds sit 10th in the Eastern Conference at the time of this writing, he has a 111-55-59 record all-time with the club across all competitions.

Lilley is famous for his tight defensive 5-3-2 shape, focusing less on possession and more on winning the ball back through a press and playing through runners in behind in the attack. While his team’s expected goals (xG) have never gone over 1.59, goals allowed ranges between an impressive 0.82-1.04 over roughly 20 years of recorded data. From the surface, Lilley would bring incredible defensive structure to an already-thriving Atlanta defense and a return to focus on the counter-attack.

That said, Lilley has never managed a first-team side in MLS, and it’s interesting to consider whether Atlanta United should be the team to give him that chance. But it’s hard to argue with his track record of winning.

Ben Pirmann

Current Club: Charleston Battery

Ben Pirmann is one of the most exciting young coaches climbing the United States soccer pyramid. After starting his career as a Michigan State assistant coach, he joined the Memphis 901 FC coaching staff as an assistant in 2018 and was promoted to interim head coach in 2020 after Tim Mulqueen’s firing, eventually being named permanent head coach. In his brief two-year stay in Memphis, Pirmann developed a clear style of play, embracing a 4-2-3-1 formation that is solid on defense, aggressive in counter-attacks, and overall a real headache for other teams to break down. Memphis finished second in the East, earning Pirmann USL Championship Coach of the Year honors in just his second full season as a head coach.

With the Charleston Battery in shambles after the retirement of their legendary coach Mike Anhaeuser, club ownership shocked the league by hiring Pirmann just eight days after he was named Coach of the Year. The club was ready to win now, so Pirmann had the freedom to bring in the squad he needed to run his system. The rebuild worked, and Charleston went from the worst team in the league in 2022 to barely losing the Championship in penalties just 12 months later. When Atlanta United traveled to Charleston to face them in the US Open Cup, Charleston had not yet lost a match in the 2024 season. Just over a month later, the club holds an 11-2-7 record in league play.

Tactically, Pirmann runs a 4-2-3-1 formation. They utterly impose their will on their opponents, dominating in expected goals for and goals against thanks to a stout and experienced defense that plays a relatively mid-level line. Similarly to Atlanta United, Pirmann’s Battery team values possession, but as Pirmann told Dan Vaughn from Protagonist Soccer, “I didn’t expect to be the number one team with possession this season, but we are, so I need to make sure that possession is purposeful and doesn’t result in chances for the other team.”

The depth and versatility of Pirmann’s Charleston squad has proven a valuable wrinkle for the head coach, who rotates fullbacks and his five attackers to create more favorable match-ups with opponents and to adapt the club’s tactical nuances through positioning and tendencies. It will never feel like the same stagnant system. As John Morrisey mentions in his excellent tactical breakdowns on USL Tactics, the shape changes from 4-2-3-1 to 4-1-4-1 with double pivots, traps, using the sideline as an extra defender, and an emphasis on making the opponent the one who makes the mistake. On defense, the team shifts to a 4-4-1-1 with the striker ready to counter and the 10 or a wing ready to quickly spring the counter. In attack, Pirmann uses a dynamic attacking-four where each player has the freedom to find the game, switch roles with other members of that group, and act as a unit to keep the opposing midfield and centerbacks unbalanced. His inverted wingers crash in towards the box, hunting for favorable angles or back-post runs. Strong play from the fullbacks and distribution from the backline allows the club to choose whether they want to use their speed on the flanks or break down the opponent through short, rapid passing.

This system requires a high work rate on both sides of the ball, selfless play, and intelligent players who understand their roles while feeling free to innovate and create. It is familiar enough that Atlanta United’s players and staff could incorporate it quickly and make the rebuild relatively short based on many of the necessary play profiles already existing on the roster and in the club’s development pipeline. 

This may not be the flashiest hire, but it could be the best coaching hire Atlanta United has made since Tata Martino. –Grey Gowder

Robin Fraser

Last Club: Colorado Rapids

Robin Fraser’s coaching career is best known for his time with the Colorado Rapids, where he led the side to a resurgence of form from late 2019-2021, capitalized by a surprise first place finish for the squad in the Western Conference. However, Fraser’s success isn’t down to one tactical style; the coach implements different styles on a game-by-game basis based on how the opposition sets up. The team’s formation, defensive line depth, and timing and placement of pressure are among few of what Fraser changes game-by-game. This interview with Fraser by the Athletic better explains his tactics.

Within these different styles, Fraser focuses on his side controlling possession and looking to play in transition. He tends to set up with a back-three, but he has had success in a back-four and back-five. Fraser is also known for getting the most out of depleted rosters, which is why Colorado were such a surprise success story in his first few years with the club. While the coach prefers a deep roster, his tactics are so flexible that when implemented correctly, they can help any group of players succeed.

Fraser’s coaching career doesn’t come without its flaws, however. His first head coaching job in 2011 was a poor stint at Chivas USA, where he was 18-21-31 over roughly two seasons. Then, he held assistant jobs at the New York Red Bulls and Toronto FC before joining the Rapids in 2019. After his first few seasons with Colorado, Fraser’s side failed to produce what they had in years before, and while this was partly due to the depletion of the Rapids’ roster over time, Fraser left the club in 2023 with a 46-49-34 all-time record while they sat bottom of the Western Conference. 

Fraser stands out when compared to other coaches on this list in the fact that he doesn’t have one specific style of play, and that has brought him success at times. He deserves another chance as a head coach, but is he too much of a risk for an Atlanta United side that desperately needs a return to glory? Could this current group of Atlanta United players successfully implement what Fraser would ask of them?

Kwame Ampadu

Current Club: Columbus Crew (Assistant)

If Atlanta United think they can make up for their mistake in choosing a former MLS assistant to be their head coach by choosing another one, Ampadu is far and away the best choice. The current Columbus Crew assistant started his coaching career as the Exeter U18 coach from 2008-2012/13, then joined the Arsenal academy in 2012/13 where he rose up the ranks to head the U18s from 2016-2018, bringing stability to a program that had struggled in years prior and improving it defensively, leading the team to the 2018 FA Youth Cup Final, where they lost in two legs to Chelsea. He had a 41-11-14 record with the side and was best known for his player development, where he helped develop players like Joe Willock, Emile Smith Rowe, and, most famously, Bukayo Saka.

Since then, he has gone on to be the assistant coach under Thierry Henry at Monaco and CF Montreal and now his current role at Columbus under Wilfried Nancy. To understand what tactical style he may bring to Atlanta, we need to look at the styles of Henry and Nancy. Henry attempts to tactically reflect a Pep Guardiola team, focusing on maintaining constant possession and attacking from out wide. While he consistently adjusts formations depending on the opponent (similar to Robin Fraser), Henry tends to build out of the back with a back-three and uses two pivot midfielders that stay tight with one another to transition into the final third. He allows his forwards freedom of movement, whether going forward or dropping back into the midfield to collect the ball, confusing defenders. Finally, on defense, Henry implements a high press to win back possession as quickly as possible. A deeper breakdown of his tactics can be found here.

While Nancy is similar to Henry and uses two pivot midfielders, he does line up differently in a 3-4-3 with the front-three having two inside forwards acting like 10s to create a box midfield. They advance the ball by either creating numerical advantages with their back three and two pivots against a four-player opposition press or by using one pivot and adding an extra striker to drop into space against a five-player press. Whichever system he uses, he stresses forming passing triangles with the wingbacks to advance the ball, wingbacks who stretch the field as much as they can while the front-three stays narrow, pulling the opponent’s fullbacks and creating space for through balls. Nancy’s system is unique in the fact that they are extremely patient with the ball, usually not advancing it until forcing their opponent to step towards them, and doing that has made quick work of MLS defenses. On defense, Nancy is similar to Henry as he implements a high press, but he mainly focuses on the wide press, a system that shut down Pineda’s Atlanta side many times. A deeper breakdown of Nancy’s tactics can be found here.

If Ampadu were to take the Atlanta head coaching job, it is unknown which coach’s structure of play he would prefer to base his scheme after. However, if he can recreate the success of Henry and Nancy’s play styles and develop United’s crop of young players and homegrown to the level of his Arsenal U18 side, he would be perfect as Atlanta’s next head coach.

Edin Terzic

Last Club: Borussia Dortmund 

Terzic, only 41, willingly left Borussia Dortmund this summer while stating that the club needed new leadership for a new era. This came after a reported major (possibly violent) disagreement with star center back Mats Hummels after he called out the coach’s tactics.

Terzic’s tactics prioritizes possession and building out of the back. When building out, they look for long through-balls behind the defense, but if that isn’t on, the center backs combine with the single pivot and the two 8s who drop to play the ball with the fullbacks in an attempt to advance forward. Once they advance, they create numerical overloads in the midfield. Two of the midfielders act as 10s in a high line of five (3-2-5 shape) that overwhelms the defense. The numerically-advantaged midfield combine centrally and leave space out wide for the fullbacks/wingers to exploit, which they do exploit once the midfield plays it out to them. They take on defenders in 1v1s, usually leading to a dangerous cross with numbers in the box or a shot. On defense, the team usually commits to a high press that forces the ball to one side of the pitch, but they can play in a mid-block. While these tactics, which are better explained here and here, sound great on the surface, they were less aggressive against better opposition and not always positive football in Hummel’s eyes, leading to the confrontation.

If the confrontation was violent, it would explain the lack of rumored interest in Terzic after his departure from Dortmund. However, if the rumor was made extreme and Terzic can command a locker room well, his track record is a massive success that should spur Atlanta on to hire him. After starting his coaching career in the Dortmund youth ranks and then assisting Slaven Bilic at Besiktas and West Ham United, he was hired as the Borussia Dortmund manager over two spells. He had a 73-28-24 record with the club, leading them to a German Cup win in 2021, a second place position in the 2022-2023 Bundesliga season in which they lost the title to Bayern Munich on the last day, and this past season’s UEFA Champions League Final where they lost 2-0 to Real Madrid, but put in a spirited performance and could have scored multiple goals. 

While they only finished fifth in the 2023-24 Bundesliga, Terzic’s style of play produces results, something Atlanta United desperately needs. Why not give the young coach a call?

Mauricio Pochettino

Last Club: Chelsea

It would take some convincing work by the Atlanta United ownership and front office to recruit Pochettino to coach the team as the Argentinian will seemingly have Premier League suitors in his future. But as there are no major jobs available at the time of writing for him to take, why not try?

Pochettino is the most successful coach on this list and is best known for his time at Tottenham Hotspur, where he went 160-73-60 from 2014-2019 and led them to their highest Premier League finish (second) in team history in the 2016-17 season. In the 2018-19 season, he famously led the side to the UEFA Champions League final, where they would lose 2-0 to Liverpool. While he never won silverware in England, his move to Paris would yield two cup trophy wins and a Ligue 1 title. He then returned to England this past season with Chelsea, who he led to sixth place in the EPL and qualification for European football. However, the coach and club mutually agreed to part ways due to differences in squad management and strategy.

Pochettino is famous for his 4-2-3-1 setup where he insists that his team builds out of the back. To do this, he drops back two midfielders to create numerical advantages over the pressing opposition and form passing lanes. Full-backs are used to bypass opponents if they can’t play through a press, and then they quickly advance the ball forward. Forwards tuck in to receive the ball and create numerical advantages in the midfield, while simultaneously creating space out wide for the fullbacks to exploit and move the ball into the final third. On defense, a Pochettino side is famous for a high press with extreme intensity, utilizing forwards and players that can step to the ball in short bursts (think Jamal Thiare and Tristan Muyumba in Atlanta), but over his time at PSG, he successfully implemented a mid-block multiple times against tougher opposition. A more in-depth tactical breakdown of Pochettino sides can be found here.

It would take a strong recruitment plan, but if Atlanta United could land Pochettino as their next head coach, it would be the biggest hire in team history and put the club back on the map as a domestic powerhouse, a title they have sadly lost over time. If they want that title back, to make a move as bold as this would be a huge step in the right direction.

Do you think these candidates would be good fits for Atlanta United’s head coach? Who do you want to see take the helm? Let us know in the comments below.