Atlanta United announced on Monday that it has parted ways with manager Gonzalo Pineda. After just one win in 11 matches and in the midst of a five-match home losing streak, the club made the decision to cut ties with the former MLS midfielder after more than two-and-a-half years in charge.
Also leaving the club will be assistant coaches Diego de la Torre and Eugenio Villazon. Assistant coach Rob Valentino will remain on staff and assume the role of interim head coach. Valentino also served as the team’s caretaker manager in 2021 after the firing of Gabriel Heinze, leading the team to a 4-2-2 record during his eight games in charge before Pineda’s hiring.
"We are grateful to Gonzalo for his commitment and dedication to the club over the last four seasons. He has been an exemplary ambassador for the organization, and we want to thank him for his contributions to the club," Atlanta United CEO and President Garth Lagerwey said. "We made this decision in an effort to move the team in a new direction. As we continue to evaluate all aspects of our sporting operation, Rob will have our full support to turn our season around in the second half."
Pineda’s tenure in Atlanta will be remembered as one that could never get off the ground. He arrived with the club in the doldrums of a rebuild and while there were some bright moments where things appeared to be heading in the right direction, their momentum seemed to always get halted.
Whether it was a landslide of injuries, a poorly constructed roster, or his inexperience as a manager, the hard truth is that Atlanta United have made very little progress during his 34 months as manager.
Appropriately enough, Pineda’s career mark in Atlanta ends with just a 36% winning percentage in MLS, with 36% of his other results being losses. A mediocre-to-below average record sums up the club’s penchant for treading water over the last four years.
To Pineda’s credit, by all accounts he did wonders for improving the club’s culture and morale after it was tanked by Heinze. Unfortunately, he was unable to translate that culture into a winning one results wise.
For Atlanta United, it’s now back to the drawing board as far as picking a new person to lead the team forward. They’ve tried the South American legend. The big-named European. The pragmatic domestic choice. Where do they go from here?
His tactics were as practical as his fashion sense: good in a vacuum, but terrible situationally. Raincoat indoors? Sweater over the shoulders as if you’re on a hike and have nowhere else to keep it?
Please please do not let Carlos choose the next manager. He is not good at this. It has to be Garth selecting the next manager.