Atlanta United Announce Gonzalo Pineda As New Manager

On August 12th, Atlanta United announced Gonzalo Pineda as the 4th manager in the club’s short history. Since 2017, Pineda had served as an assistant within the Seattle Sounders coaching staff under Brian Schmetzer, reaching the MLS Cup final three times and winning the championship in 2019. Though Pineda is only 38 and may not be the flashy manager that you would expect the five stripes to go for, he fits the Atlanta model of young players such as Miguel Almiron and Esequiel Barco, as well as recently-fired manager Gabriel Heinze.

In additional to MLS coaching experience, Pineda brings MLS playing experience to Atlanta as well, having played for the Seattle Sounders during the later stages of his career. However, much of Pineda's playing career was spent in Mexico, playing for Pumas, Chivas Guadalajara, San Luis, Cruz Azul, and Queretaro in Ligue MX. This experience in Mexico could help Atlanta, especially if they face Mexican teams in the Champions League or Leagues Cup in the future. Pineda has also played for the Mexican National Team, competing with El Tri in the Summer Olympics, The Confederations Cup and the FIFA World Cup.

“In additional to MLS coaching experience, Pineda brings MLS playing experience to Atlanta as well, having played for the Seattle Sounders during the later stages of his career.“

Pineda’s first game as Atlanta United manager won’t be until August 21st, as he has he has just recently tested positive for COVID 19. Interestingly enough, his first match is an away game against DC United, a team he also interviewed for prior to the hiring of Hernan Losada. In the meantime, Rob Valentino will serve as the interim manager until Pineda is cleared to coach. At the same time, Atlanta recently announced the signing of winger Luiz Araujo from Lille. Araujo missed Sunday’s LAFC matchup, as he is currently working on getting his visa, but he should be available in time for Pineda’s first game as manager. Pineda called the Atlanta job, “ the opportunity of a lifetime,” and stated that he’s, “really excited to become Atlanta United’s head coach.”

There is a lot of pressure on both Darren Eales and Carlos Bocanegra after this hire: the Atlanta front office had to sack their last two managers, neither of which survived more than one and a half years at the helm. If Pineda is not successful, both Bocanegra and Eales’ jobs will be on the line. Atlanta’s goal for the rest of the season will be to find their way into the MLS Cup playoffs. The five stripes have shown signs of improvement in their last few games, which culminated in a 3-2 victory against the Columbus Crew and a 1-0 victory against LAFC. With the likes of Brad Guzan, George Bello, Miles Robinson, and Ezequiel Barco returning from international duty, the five stripes will finally have the pieces to field something close to their best eleven, missing only Emerson Hyndman and Brooks Lennon.

“With the likes of Brad Guzan, George Bello, Miles Robinson, and Ezequiel Barco returning from international duty, the five stripes will finally have the pieces to field something close to their best eleven, missing only Emerson Hyndman and Brooks Lennon.”

Atlanta will play 10 of their final 16 matches at home in Mercedes Benz Stadium, which will be important – Atlanta’s legendary crowds should give the team a home-field advantage, which will be crucial when the players needs that push from the crowd to get over the line. Luckily, Atlanta also has a relatively easy schedule to close out the season - for example, they will face Inter Miami at home twice, which should be an opportunity for Atlanta United to pick up 6 points. The five stripes also play Cincinnati on decision day, which could be a crucial match that Atlanta should have a good chance of winning.

To achieve success with what’s left of the 2021 season, Pineda will need a bit of luck. However, if Atlanta can play to their potential, especially considering the quality of players they have on their squad, they will have a good chance of making a playoff push. Since they are only 8 points behind the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference, it’s a feasible goal for the new manager and could be the start of a return to glory for Atlanta United.