It’s three matches into the 2026 MLS season, and Atlanta United still hasn’t won.
That’s not to say they didn’t look better in a 3-2 loss to Real Salt Lake on Saturday. Alexey Miranchuk scored twice in one of his best games in an Atlanta uniform. Collectively, the team’s effort was much improved compared to the previous week at the San Jose Earthquakes.
Ultimately, the match came down to two defending mistakes, both by Juan Berrocal. In the 23rd minute, he was beaten to a through ball from Morgan Guilavogui to Sergi Solans, with the 2025 MLS SuperDraft pick out of UCLA opening the scoring. In the 40th minute, Zavier Gozo, one of the league’s top young players and a USMNT hopeful, beat Berrocal 1v1 and blasted it far-post past Lucas Hoyos for RSL’s third goal of the evening.
It’s likely a much different match minus those defensive lapses. Sadly, that’s not how it works.
“We improved, in my view, in the overall play, but today we had the mistakes,” Tata Martino said after the match. “So now … we’re going to try and correct those mistakes.”
That’s essentially been a common theme for Atlanta United for much of the past several years: decent play in spots, but one or two letdowns that end up being the difference. Naturally, fans have grown tired of it.
Martino, when he took the reins of Atlanta for a second stint after the firing of Ronny Deila, said that it’d take “at least a year” to get the roster where it needed to be. He echoed those same sentiments on Saturday night with a reference to his former employer.
“I arrived in Miami in June 2023, and so we had that window and the December window. And then you guys know what happened the next season. Even though we lost in the playoffs to Atlanta, the team won the Supporters’ Shield,” Martino said. “When the team lost, the project continued. They changed the coach, but the project continued. And the next year, Miami won the championship.”
How many windows, then, for Atlanta?
“I haven’t counted yet,” he said, with the press conference room chuckling after the translation. “When I finish counting, I’ll tell you how many there are.”
It’s probably safe to say Atlanta United fans aren’t laughing. The club just played to their worst-ever 34-match season. Their 0-3-0 start to the 2026 campaign is the worst in their history. They’ve been outscored 7-2 in their first three matches. So fans could be forgiven for wanting to see tangible results right away.
But those tangible results start with the players the coach is putting on the pitch.
If anything, Martino has been known for his stubbornness during his managerial career. (“That’s the duo that I chose because that’s the duo that I wanted to play and they can do it,” he said, when pressed on whether Atlanta’s current centerback pairing best positioned the club to win.) He didn’t fully tip his hand when asked if changes were coming to the starting XI, saying instead that he and his staff would focus on correcting individual mistakes.
“As coaches, we try and protect the players. We don’t change just to make changes. Because if you do that every game, then we’re going to run out of players to make changes with. So you can’t sacrifice it just for the sake of making changes,” he added.
That’s all well and good. But is the team really better off with Berrocal at center back and Hoyos in goal? What’s the plan for Jayden Hibbert after a strong stretch to close out 2025? What’s the plan for Stian Gregersen, who hasn’t played in a single match in 2026? Granted, it’s probably to keep him from getting injured while Atlanta tries to find a suitor for his services.
Martino believes in the project he’s been given. It’s a long-term project, he’s stressed, with the groundwork being laid for more sustainable success down the road. He has plenty of goodwill among the fan base, considering what he accomplished with the club in 2017 and 2018.
How long that goodwill remains is another story.
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Stubbornness doesn’t get you very far unfortunately. Make some changes, give players the chance to prove their worth…you can’t keep starting the same nearly 11 and expect a different result, the definition of insanity.
Remember, unlike the 2017 and 2018 teams, this team was not constructed by Tata. If they don’t give Tata the time and freedom to change the personnel to that which is needed, we will be doomed to another 3 or 4 years of disappointment. I’m betting that there will be a number of changes in the summer (Berrocal, and others will be gone, and (hopefully) the replacements will be ones selected by Tata) and then we’ll see. In the meantime, patience is the key.
Don’t wholly disagree. I do think Tata is/was the wrong choice. His recent employment history is clear. I’d wager a fair sum that he won’t be here after next year, win or lose. That’s just not where he is and despite the rhetoric, Atlanta isn’t home for him. That said, crazy to me that some folks seem to think the last…5 coaches have just been so clueless that they’ve been unable to just let the magic happen. Can you imagine teams spending all kinds of $ on managers when all they have to do is say, just get out there and play, guys…regardless of my take on Tata, this team is not going to transform over night…and whether or not Tata is the guy, we’re likely better served by accepting that this is going to be a long term project for anyone. It takes years to build teams and this roster is a disaster.
Dude’s been handed the keys to a Ford Pinto. Give him a chance to at least change the tires and put a spoiler on the back. There is no human alive that could squeeze a win out of this current roster without a few lucky bounces. The CBs are remarkably slow and unathletic. It seems clear they’re not playing Gregersen to see if they can move him elsewhere. This team will suck again this year. No two ways about it. We’re all gonna be miserable. I believe next year will be a massive improvement.
Next year…next year…a few more windows now Heard that for 6+ seasons now and nothing ever gets better. I truly don’t know what you can base your optimism on.
This coach is very bias and stubborn, did not want him here, just like I did not want them to bring in Alviron or #59. He is going to keep forcing his agenda, we will probably lose several more games with Berocal and Hoyos. Ironically, everyone sees we need to change those two, bring in Grergsen, and Hibbert to start but sadly, his old stubborn and very bias mentality, does not help this team.
A truly smart and intellegent coach would pit the best players for the position, and tweak the formation. IMO..here is what we should look like…
….Alviron……ELL…
GALZRA…..ALZARTE/FORTUNE….GILL/MUYUMBA
………………JACOB………..
AMADOR/BIAZ…..#4……GREGERSEN..EDWARDS
…………..HIBBERT……..
With Luke, Chung, Saba,Miranchuk, Santos coming in as subs
This lineup and formation gives the best chance of stabilizing the defense, strengthen the middle, and putting our best forwards on start. The game plan and strategy always depend on which team is your opponents, but building out the back and avoid so much negative passing. The ball needs to be pushed forward and attacking like we did in the second half of the last game.
Tata is definitely stubborn, but saying he’s not a “truly smart and intelligent coach” is a choice, imo.
Also, we need to keep in mind that “looking better” than last week should be taken with a HUGE grain of salt against a team missing 7 regulars.
Honestly, these comments by Tata are part of the reason I did not want him to come back as our manager. It is never good to look toward nostalgia in making personnel decisions. We need a manager that is willing to be flexible with this poorly constructed roster and these comments make it seem like Tata is willing to be stubborn to the point that he will sink with the ship.
Not if he is gonna be stubborn and not play the “best” players at their correct positions.
It’s the coach’s job to protect the players of they play like crap? Sure, maybe they shouldn’t call them out or roast them at a press conference. Still, I thought the coach’s job was to pick good players, set the strategy, align players and strategy through training and then execute to win games. Yes, we looked better than last week, but what sort of benchmark is that – last week was abysmal.
Patience after getting dunked on game after game after game this year, after our worst season and a string of poor seasons? Didn’t we admit ATL UTD has much higher standards and expectations after last year? Didn’t we make all manner of retention and team signings over the winter? Didn’t Tata say our DPs can play together? So the fans need to be patient, really? I think the remaining fans have been plenty patient given the history. For Tata and the front office to preach patience to us is just insulting. We’ve seen other teams turn things around while Atlanta just spends and spins.
The only redeeming glimmer from last night was Galarza. He played aggressively and with skill.
There is no goodwill left. This team has won 5 of their last 37 MLS matches. FIVE!!!!!! While Tata has only been in charge for 3 of those losses; he should be asked challenging questions such as: why is Gregerson not playing at ALL while the existing center backs have under-performed?
Why isn’t our goalkeeper of the future not being given developmental game time while your 36 year old keeper keeps making mistakes?
Why aren’t the three DPs playing at a high level when you said they could and would be “complimentary”?
I could continue, but I’ll just leave it there as no one will ask.
Patience grasshopper. If I’m correct 3 of 4 of the players he’s brought in are doing well. All the others are from previous coaches; tactically our CB’s are not capable of playing Tata ball and he needs to make sure that is the case. I am going to sit for the first 10 games and see. Of the 3 games played our defense has been the weak link and hopefully it’ll get figured out. If you may recall Miami had the same issue but eventually they worked it out.
He’s being asked. If you listen to the conferences, he’s being asked about Gregersen, Berrocal, Hoyos, Hibbert. He’s also well aware of how our team performed last year because that’s who he is, and I’m sure the FO is communicating with him.
I say all of this both to say have a little patience, but also to say you’re not alone, and Tata is being made aware of what we’re all saying.
When this team starts to gel in 2032 under a different coach, players, and organizational philosophy, you are gonna look awfully silly for being impatient.
You are so right. My bad. I just need to keep mindlessly buying STs and keep my mouth shut.
(I love your comment,)
For what it’s worth, my comment wasn’t telling you to shut up, kind of the opposite actually (at least that was my intention). It was more to have some hope that you’re actually being heard, and hopefully something is being done about it in the near future. At the very least the media is hounding Tata about it.
All good. I wasn’t directing my comment at you. I am simply sick and tired of this team, its leadership and direction.