Atlanta United fires Gonzalo Pineda

One thing that Gonzalo Pineda couldn’t control, injuries, and one he could, the team’s skill in the 18-yard boxes, resulted in the manager’s termination by Atlanta United on Monday.

ExploreComplete coverage of Monday's major news from Atlanta United

Also fired were assistants Diego de la Torre and Eugenio Villazon. Rob Valentino was promoted to interim manager by club President Garth Lagerwey. Valentino also served as interim between Gabriel Heinze and Pineda.

Lagerwey described the decision as an “organization failure” and the season so far as one of the most frustrating chapters of his career but he believes the team can still make the playoffs.

“We believe that our team has been underachieving,” Lagerwey said. “We believe that our team is more talented than what our results have been. And as a result, we were going to try to change the voice of the top and see if we get more out of the existing group.”

Pineda’s last match was Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Charlotte at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Lagerwey said the decision to fire Pineda was approved by owner Arthur Blank on Sunday. Pineda and two of the assistants were informed on Monday.

The match against Charlotte was the team’s fifth consecutive loss at home, featured the team having more expected goals than the visitors but also resulted in an injury to Stian Gregersen, one Designated Player, and another DP, Giorgos Giakoumakis, whose availability was restricted by a previous injury.

It was the story of Pineda’s time leading the club.

Hired as a proven and successful assistant from Seattle, where he won an MLS Cup, he finished at Atlanta United with an overall league record of 34-34-29 and no trophies. Atlanta United is still alive in the U.S. Open Cup this season. Leagues Cup has yet to start. Atlanta United is below the playoff line in MLS, three points out of ninth. It has one win in 11 league matches.

Pineda’s tenure was greatly affected by numerous injuries. Hired in August 2021, during his first full season in 2022, players on the team sustained more than 20 injuries that resulted in them missing multiple matches. At one point, five starters (fullbacks, centerbacks and goalkeeper) weren’t on the roster at the beginning of the season. The team missed the playoffs for the second time. The first was in 2020.

The team was also hampered in 2021 and ‘22 by an ineffective striker. The team bought out Josef Martinez and signed Giakoumakis ahead of the 2023 season. Players on the roster also proved more resilient. The team made the playoffs but was eliminated in the best-of-three first round by Columbus, the eventual MLS champs.

The roster was retooled for 2024 with the loan of several inexperienced or ineffective players such as Santiago Sosa and Franco Ibarra and the signing of numerous experienced veterans such as midfielder Bartosz Slisz, Gregersen, centerback Derrick Williams and goalkeeper Josh Cohen. Those were in addition to signings made during the summer of 2023 such as striker Jamal Thiare, wingers Saba Lobjanidze and Xande Silva and midfielder Tristan Muyumba.

Unfortunately for Pineda, Giakoumakis, Thiare, Silva, Gregersen and Williams, as well as Thiago Almada, the third DP, have also missed multiple matches this season because of injuries.

Pineda said on Sunday one of the things that would help the team get back on track was to get players back from injuries. As Giakoumakis was returning from a hamstring injury, he was also being pursued by Cruz Azul in Mexico. Giakoumakis declined to speak to journalists after Sunday’s loss.

“Number one, we are trying to have the team fully fit and fully ready “ Pineda said. “I think we are close, but we may have suffered another injury, particularly in the back. I think we needed today’s three points, I agree 100 percent, and I think today’s victory was pivotal for the mentality of the team.”

Lagerwey didn’t seem to agree that injuries have been a significant factor. He said there are always imperfections and one of the arts of managing is managing imperfect lineups.

But it was also affected by the team’s inability to score and inability to stop opponents. The Charlotte match was the epitome. Charlotte’s first goal was an own goal from a corner kick that bounced off Williams. It happened five minutes after Atlanta United took a 1-0 lead. Charlotte’s second goal happened when neither Williams nor Luis Abram closed down Liel Abada. Charlotte’s third goal happened when Abada was left open in the 18-yard box for a shot into the lower right corner.

“It would be a different problem altogether if we weren’t creating that many chances, and then you could say they aren’t executing the game plan or not getting the best out of themselves, but they are just not clinical, and when you are not clinical in these types of games, you suffer,” Pineda said. “The margins in this league are so small that you have to make sure that when you have this number of dominant performances with double the chances, numerous high-value chances, double the shots, and double the Expected Goals, you need to capitalize on those, and we haven’t.”

Valentino will lead the club in the final 18 league matches. If he succeeds, he will be considered for the full-time role. Lagerwey will lead the search. Asked twice if Vice President Carlos Bocanegra will be part of the search, Lagerwey wouldn’t provide a clear answer. Bocanegra has been in charge of building the rosters since the team’s inaugural 2017 season. It won the U.S. Open Cup in 2018 and the Campeones Cup and U.S. Open Cup in 2019. Despite spending a lot of money on transfer fees and salaries, it hasn’t advanced out of the first round of the playoffs since 2019. The guaranteed portion of Bocanegra’s contract ends after the 2025 season. There is an option for 2026.

Lagerwey pointed out that in his time at Real Salt Lake, Seattle and Atlanta United his teams have made the playoffs with five different managers.

There is no timetable on completing the search, Lagerwey said. There will be a large group of people who will be involved with Blank making the final decision based upon their recommendation.

There are two hugely successful managers who are unemployed but it’s unclear if they would come to MLS. One is Marcelo Gallardo, whose son Matias plays for Atlanta United 2. The other is Mauricio Pochettino, who was recently fired by Chelsea.

The hire would be just the third manager Lagerwey has hired in his career in the front offices of MLS teams. The most recent was promoting Brian Schmetzer from assistant to interim to manager at Seattle. Schmetzer, who has won two MLS Cups and finished runner-up twice, the Champions League. The first was Jeff Cassar at Real Salt Lake, who was also promoted from being an assistant coach at the club. Real Salt Lake won no trophies during his 121-match tenure.

“We really thought coming into the season that we had assembled a team that was going to really be competitive and really do well,” Lagerwey said. “We set lofty goals for ourselves. Those goals haven’t changed. Now we need to hopefully go forward with some discipline and some structure and some determination and understand that nothing is going to be given to us. We have we come to work every day, in this kind of Arthur Blank-created paradise.

“It’s one thing to be grateful for it, it’s another to earn it. And I think that’s what you have to do going forward is we have to show that we’re willing to be gritty, we’re willing to be determined, we’re willing to fight and overcome adversity. I think, too often this season, we’ve seen things like, when we score, we immediately get scored upon, or when we make a mistake, we’re not resilient, we make another mistake and compound that and then things snowball. We’re hopeful that with the potential on the team with the talent on the team that with a different voice, hopefully we can affect a quick turnaround.”

For more content about Atlanta United

Follow me on Twitter/X @DougRobersonAJC

On Facebook at Atlanta United News Now

On Instagram at DouglasDavidRoberson

Atlanta United coverage on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Southern Fried Soccer podcast can be found

Apple - https://apple.co/3ISD6Ve

Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3L8TN0C

Google podcasts - https://bit.ly/32KlZW3

If you are listening to us for the first time, please follow us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast ... and if you like what you hear, please give us a good rating so we can grow the show. If you have questions about the MLS team, you can email Doug Roberson at droberson@ajc.com, DM him on Twitter @dougrobersonajc or call 404-526-2527.

Stay up to date every day on breaking news, in-depth investigations, politics, sports, entertainment, food and dining and so much more by becoming a subscriber to the AJC. Go to AJC.com/start for a very special offer and unlock hundreds of original articles published daily on the refreshed AJC.com and the new AJC mobile app. Plus, access to our news alerts, subscriber-only events, AJC original shows, films and videos, newsletters, and so much more.

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