Gerardo Martino said after Wednesday's 4-3 win against San Jose that he has a received a formal contract proposal from Atlanta United to extend his stay as the team's manager.
“It’s something we are going to analyze very seriously and take our time deciding,” he said.
ESPN, citing “a credible source,” reported earlier in the day that Martino was going to leave Atlanta United after this season, which is when his contract will expire. Martino said nothing has changed in the past 10 days. Both sides have options to renew the contract. Martino said the date to do so in the contract is Oct. 1.
“You’ll have to ask the reporter to reveal his source to see who it is,” Martino said. “I don’t even know it.”
Martino doesn’t have an agent. He has been speculatively tied to several managerial positions with national teams, including the U.S., Colombia, Mexico and his native Argentina, which he managed from 2014-16.
Martino led Atlanta United to the playoffs in its inaugural season last year. This season, the Five Stripes have 60 points, three of which came in Wednesday’s thrilling 4-3 win against the San Jose Earthquakes. Atlanta United leads MLS in points and is the favorite to win the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.
An Atlanta United spokeswoman declined to provide details of the proposal given to Martino.
“I don’t want to take anything away from the team because we have a lot of things to play for this year and we are focused on that,” he said.
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