It's fair to ask the Gonzalo Pineda questions now

Atlanta United have plenty of questions to answer in the coming months.

Here we go again. If this all feels familiar, it’s because we’ve been here several times in Atlanta United’s eight seasons of existence. The team is underperforming expectations, supporters are getting angry, and nobody is having fun. It’s a rotten place to be for any follower of a soccer club.

You may have noticed a new rating in my player ratings feature after the 2-1 loss at home to Minnesota United on Saturday. I introduced a probability rating for manager Gonzalo Pineda to be relieved of his duties. Trust me, it brings me no pleasure to even have to ask this question. But let’s look at this in a bubble for a second. Regardless of your feelings of Pineda’s managerial acumen or his track record, Atlanta United proclaim to be a top club in MLS and all of North America. Any manager in the world who manages a top club would face this question if they were going through the same form that the Five Stripes are currently experiencing. So, if anyone out there is upset or opposed to now being the time that asking a question about his future is fair, you’re simply admitting that the club’s stature or ambition has dropped. If we can’t agree on that much then you can go ahead and click off the article now, because this isn’t for you.