Best, worst moments of Gonzalo Pineda’s tenure with Atlanta United

Gonzalo Pineda was fired by Atlanta United as its manager on Monday. He finished with a record of 34-34-29.

Here are his best and worst moments leading the first team:

Best

1. Defeating Miami 3-1 on May 29. Atlanta United was winless in its previous nine MLS matches. Lionel Messi was on the field for Miami.

Atlanta United blitzed them.

It was Miami’s first loss at home with Messi in the starting lineup. It was the first time a Messi-led club was beaten when he scored since 2021.

It was everything that Atlanta United supporters had been wanting to see.

2. Defeating Columbus 4-2 on Nov. 7, 2023. Atlanta United trailed the Crew in the best-of-three playoff series following a 2-0 loss in Ohio in which it had been dominated.

Atlanta United turned the tables at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, hammering Columbus 4-2 to even the series. Giorgos Giakoumakis had a goal and two assists.

Importantly, Atlanta United took a 1-0 lead only for Columbus to quickly tie the match at 1. Atlanta United didn’t fold. It scored twice in the second half, both goals coming in the final 10 minutes, to extend the series to a third match and give supporters hope that it could fulfill its potential.

It lost the third game.

3. Defeating Orlando 3-0 on Sept. 10, 2021. It was Pineda’s second match in charge and his first match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ezequiel Barco scored a goal and had a free kick that resulted in an own-goal.

The win moved Atlanta United into a tie for the seventh and final playoff spot. It gave the supporters hope that the attacking soccer they enjoyed in the team’s early years was back.

“It’s not about my first win,” Pineda said. “It’s about these three points that are very valuable for the team for the club. The players deserve every single part of the victory. I felt that they did an amazing job, they worked very hard last two weeks. And this is the reward for them. At the same time, is a reward for the fans, which I really like the connection. We played for them. They were cheering for us in every single moment.”

Worst

1. Losing to Charlotte 3-2 on June 2. Atlanta United followed a victory against Miami by losing to Charlotte a few days later in ways that Atlanta United supporters had grown tired of seeing: lack of finishing in the final third, lack of discipline in the defensive third.

“We are playing good, and we are getting into the final third, which is not easy against teams that drop their lines and defend with 10 or 11 players inside their own third, and even then, we are creating (chances), but when you don’t score the goals in key moments, you suffer,” Pineda said.

The decision to fire Pineda was made on Monday.

2. Losing to Cincinnati 2-1 on April 20. This wasn’t a high-stakes playoff game. It was just another regular-season meeting but it summed up the Pineda era.

Atlanta United took a 1-0 lead in the 59th minute on a goal by Thiago Almada. Five minutes later, Cincinnati had a 2-1 lead. The first goal came from a corner kick by Almada that started a Cincinnati corner kick.

“I was speechless after that,” Pineda said.

The second came when no one marked Luciano Acosta, the reigning MVP and most dangerous player on the pitch.

The two goals coming so soon after Atlanta United scored and so close together were a consistent problem.

“You get guys running free in the box, being able to take a ball down at the penalty spot, take a touch, look at the goalkeeper from seven yards, you’re gonna get punished,” Guzan said. “You don’t get pressure to the ball wide. We don’t track runners in the middle of the box.”

3. Losing to Austin 3-0 on July 9, 2022. Atlanta United hadn’t won its previous two matches but it seemed like it had turned a corner by playing Red Bulls close 2-1 at Red Bull Arena and then fighting for a draw, 2-2, against NYCFC at Yankee Stadium.

That momentum evaporated in a shellacking by Austin. After the match, Josef Martinez pointed fingers in many directions about the franchise’s path.

“So we play because we have to play, but in the training, some players don’t have that energy,” he said. “Some people don’t know what we have to do or they don’t recognize or they don’t appreciate the jersey. That’s probably the most problem. The injuries are not a problem. We play soccer, and you can have injuries every day. And some people still think because we lost these guys, we lost. We make a mistake, we all make a mistake. And we are professionals. There are no kids anymore.

“And if you come here, you have to know what we have to do. So if you’re not coming here for 100%, you probably don’t have to join this, this club to play. So the people, it’s a message for everyone. If you want to bring in some guys, it’s because they want to play here and not because it’s business. And that’s happened for a long time.”

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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule

Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in U.S. Open Cup