Daddy's home.

Atlanta United fan's wildest dream is actually coming true. According to breaking reports, Tata Martino is returning to the club he lead to a 2018 MLS Cup.

Tata Martino is reportedly returning to Atlanta United as its head coach.

That comes to us via reports from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Doug Roberson and corroborated by The Athletic’s Tom Bogert, Paul Tenorio and Felipe Cardenas.

The report from the AJC states that final negotiations will be held Thursday, and Five Stripe Final understands Martino’s signing is expected in the coming 24-48 hours. While the feeling that Martino could return to Atlanta United has been simmering for weeks, a corner was clearly turned in the past several days since the club’s focus on candidates narrowed. Perhaps more importantly, Martino himself reportedly agreed to return to the arena and put at risk an already sterling record at the club.

In his return, Martino will inherit a much different project than the one he accepted when he put pen to paper in 2016. Then, he was able to build a roster practically from scratch alongside then-technical director Carlos Bocanegra. Now, he will have a different — though familiar — partner in Atlanta Untied Sporting Director and Chief Soccer Officer Chris Henderson. The two worked in a similar relationship at Inter Miami just a matter of month ago.

But there is a crucial difference this time around. The roster is already established. Sure, there will be players to acquire and a little bit of flexibility to shift the deck chairs. But Martino’s primary task will be to grab the wheel of the ship and start to turn it in the direction the club and its owner Arthur Blank so desperately want to go. Martino at least has one key cog in the form of Miguel Almiron, whom he recruited as his first big-name signing to leave his Argentinian club of Lanus to join him stateside in 2016. Almiron struggled mightily in his own return to Atlanta a mere 10 months ago, but perhaps Martino understands the strings to pull to get the playmaker back in form.

Can Martino work with some of the other key pieces like Designated Players Aleksey Miranchuk, Latte Lath and Steven Alzate? How about the likes of Saba Lobjanidze, Tristan Muyumba and Jay Fortune? We will learn in due time what the future holds for these players and more under Martino’s leadership. But it seems impossible that an Atlanta United fan could have more confidence in anyone else.