Nine seasons. Five managers. Only two of them have had tenures that could be considered more or less successful.
But sometimes you have to go backward to move forward.
At least that’s what Atlanta United hopes will happen, anyway, after bringing Tata Martino back for a second stint with the club, seven years after he led them to an MLS Cup.
Since Martino left the club at the end of 2018, Atlanta has tried to find a viable successor. In case you need a reminder, here’s who’s passed through the technical area:
a) a coach with a track record of winning in the Netherlands, but not really anywhere else. He did win the Open Cup! And the Campeones Cup! And got one win away from hosting MLS Cup for a second-straight year! But he did it with many of Martino’s players and nearly caused a locker-room mutiny with his stubbornness before backing down. And he crashed out of the MLS Is Back Tournament, which…let’s forget that whole setup even happened in the first place.
b) a coach who had thrived in South America and who very well should have done the same in MLS. But his, let’s say, frosty relationship with Josef Martinez (along with several other factors, including, but not limited to, his on-field results and unpopular training methods) saw him last just 13 games. (Plus, it was during the pandemic, so did the 2021 season even happen?)
c) a first-time head coach who was previously an assistant with one of the top clubs in the league. He helped rally the team to the playoffs in 2021, only to see it snakebitten by injuries in 2022 before returning to the playoffs in 2023. But it never really seemed like things were clicking. Ultimately, after a slow start to 2024, it was clear that he’d lost the locker room, and he was fired. Plus, there was that chicken-and-rice thing with Josef.
Important sidenote: Rob Valentino then took over on an interim basis and led them to the playoffs and an upset of Inter Miami. He didn’t get the job permanently, and Atlanta instead went with…
d) An MLS Cup-winning head coach. With a record (at the time) signing at striker and Miguel Almiron back with the club, what could go wrong?
Safe to say that Atlanta United’s gotten a lot wrong over the past 7 years. Finding a head coach who can help get the club back to elite status has been one of them.
So, they’ve gone back to the only coach who’s been able to get them there. It helps that he’ll report directly to Chris Henderson, his former boss at Inter Miami. There’s been plenty of digital ink spilled discussing how the relationship between Martino and Carlos Bocanegra was one of the biggest factors behind Martino’s initial departure. But the Henderson-Martino partnership has been proven to work in South Florida. And it wasn’t just because the best player in the world and a few of his buddies played there.
Tata Martino’s hire is the biggest swing for the fences yet for an Atlanta side looking to return to relevancy. His name commands respect across South America, where Atlanta’s recruitment focus is sure to shift once more. He’s someone who knows the club’s culture inside and out. His first order of business is working with Henderson to decide which of Atlanta’s numerous players on option years deserve to stay or go. From there, it’s rebuilding a roster that needs plenty of help to resemble one that can compete with the best clubs in the league.
Tata Martino is back at Atlanta United. Will it work? Let’s certainly hope so.
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At least this removes one big variable from the situation. If we continue to be terrible next year, we’ll know for sure it’s not because of the coach. Although I suspect the coach was a big part of our problem this year, Deila was still too much of an unknown to be sure.
Ok, I know you guys have to get paid somehow, and experience will vary between browsers and devices. But, on iPhone/Safari, the new ad experience is really bad. Half screen ads on every new page that require tapping on a small button twice to go away, and multiple half screen ads all over the article, including in between comments, makes for a very jarring experience. I think the only positive thing I can say for it is I haven’t seen any sexually explicit ads. Yet.
I know someone complained about the system before, but assuming it was the old one and not this current one, I actually greatly preferred that one. It at least didnt take up half the screen when reading content.
Yup, it’s something we’re actively experimenting with, the problem with adding these is we have no way of knowing when the updates will go into effect 🙃 I just tried updating some of the full screen stuff so hopefully that tweaks it a bit. But please, by all means keep giving us feedback lol. We appreciate it!
Sorry the Apple experience is so bad. I don’t notice any changes on the Android side.
It’s a lot better now, maybe even too good! Right now on both iphone and macbook I just see ads interspersed a reasonable amount in the article, and right before the comments.
I think simply having Tata’s style of play back on the pitch in MBS is going to be hugely attractive but there is a lot to be done in the offseason with this roster and some big question marks. My biggest question is can ELL flourish in Tata’s system? IMO, he has a very similar skill set to Josef but didn’t have the advantages of a Gressel whipping in pinpoint crosses or that magical chemistry with Miggy. Maybe he doesn’t have the brain for the game that Josef has, IDK. We need to see us get the ROI for him under Tata.
I think ELL will do fine – but we do need to have better crosses into the box (Lennon is not good, and Amador’s accuracy seemed to drop off a cliff in 2025). Maybe Tata’s assistants can correct this problem
I don’t need the Five Stripes to win MLS Cup in the next year or two. I do need them to have a defined identity instead of the utter aimlessness in possession they had under Deila. I don’t think anyone expected them to win the MLS Cup in their inaugural season, and indeed they didn’t, but damn they were fun to watch!
Exactly – and when Tata leaves in 2 or 3 years, ask him who he thinks should replace him so that the identity and style is maintained, unlike the train wreck that followed 2018.
Agreed. Seems like that is not standard practice and not sure how Tata or FO would like that approach. If Tata is going to be a 2 (or 3) and out coach, why not require he help identify and develop a successor? This is a best, but admittedly not common, practice in other industries.
I just want to see a team that is copeditive…and doesn’t look like a good Sunday rec team could beat them each game out there.
Fwiw, Heinze is doing just fine as a top assistant to arguably the best club in the world right now… so…
Fans don’t pay attention to the coaches, they only care about the managers.
As a Gunner and a 17, I had mixed feelings when Heinze joined Arsenal, but clearly it’s working out. Now if we could just borrow Arsenal’s set piece coach for a season…
I assume it won’t pay off, but I’m hoping it will.
THE BIGGEST swing would have been for Klopp or MAYBE trying to poach Nancy…..but eff it im in.🤷……i just got one more thing to say…RE-UNITE THE FUSION!!!😤
[insert ‘It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for him’ gif]
I’ll remain optimistic because we can only go up from here, but i’ve been let down before so i’ll remain cautious too.