Atlanta United
Team brings back manager who led it to the MLS Cup in 2018; new contract is through 2027 season.
One of Gerardo Martino’s (center) challenges in his return as Atlanta United manager will be to help Miguel Almirón (center left), who he managed in Atlanta in 2017-18, rediscover his form after a disappointing 2025 season. Almirón had six goals and seven assists in 31 games after returning to the Five Stripes. (Miguel Martinez/AJC 2017)
The most successful manager in Atlanta United’s history is returning.
Gerardo Martino was named the Five Stripes’ manager Thursday, with a contract through the 2027 MLS season. He is returning seven years after leading the club to the MLS Cup in 2018.
The team confirmed Martino’s hiring on Thursday.
“I want to thank (club owner) Arthur (Blank) and (chief soccer officer) Chris (Henderson) for the opportunity to return to the club and a city where we hold wonderful memories and maintain great relationships,” Martino said in a club statement. “This is a different project than my first stint with the club, however with great ownership and the collaboration of the players, coaching staff and everyone at the club, our objective will always be to form a winning team that makes our fans feel proud and well-represented every time that they go to Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”
Martino, 62, is expected to be introduced next week.
“We are thrilled to welcome ‘Tata’ back to Atlanta United,” Blank said in a statement from the club. “Tata is an exceptional manager who set the standard for excellence within our club and helped establish our identity in Major League Soccer. There is a lot of work to do for us to get back to championship form. This moment is not about revisiting the past but about looking ahead and building a new foundation while embracing the continuing evolution of what it takes to contend in MLS on a regular basis.”
Martino’s task is enormous.
Unlike when he was hired in 2016 and Atlanta United’s roster was still being formed around an identity of high-scoring, fast-paced soccer, Martino is inheriting a roster that produced the worst results in franchise history (28 points). The team could neither score (38 goals) nor stop opponents from scoring (63 goals allowed).
The play last season was much different under Ronny Deila, who was fired after one season, than under Martino in 2017 and ’18. Atlanta United scored 70 goals and allowed 40 to finish with 55 points in its first season and scored 70 while allowing 44 to finish with 69 points in its second. The team went 36-16-16 under Martino.
After Martino’s resignation for personal reasons in 2018, Frank de Boer was hired. The team won the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019. It has won just two playoff series since, both in 2024 under interim manager Rob Valentino, a former assistant under Martino. One of those series wins was against Inter Miami, then led by Martino. He resigned following the 2024 season having led the Herons to the Leagues Cup in 2023 and Supporters Shield in ’24.
Those two trophies were among the numerous successes, including 11 trophies, he has experienced as a manager of national teams Paraguay and Mexico, and club teams Brown de Arrecifes, Platense, Instituto, Colon, Newell’s Old Boys, Libertad, Cerro Porteno, Barcelona, Atlanta United and Inter Miami.
A concern about Martino is he typically doesn’t stay at any club long, but he has finished with a winning record 10 times at his 14 jobs. His record is 392-186-175.
Martino prefers to play a 4-3-3, which Atlanta United has used under various managers since. But he has shown flexibility. In 2018, recognizing that winning in the postseason required a solid defense, he changed Atlanta United’s formation to a 5-3-2. The team finished with its first trophy.
Different Atlanta United managers, starting with de Boer, and continuing with Gabriel Heinze, Gonzalo Pineda and Deila, have tried different formations with different personnel but rarely come close to reproducing the successes of the first three seasons.
Spending on the roster hasn’t been a reason. Blank has spent millions in acquiring players, while also making millions by unloading some of them.
Martino may not have that luxury with the current roster.
The team’s three Designated Player slots are filled by Miguel Almirón, who played under Martino in 2017 and ‘18, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Alexey Miranchuk. Unless the team can sell, trade or buy out one or more of the players, which is unlikely considering the cost, Martino will have to figure out how to make that trio more productive in 2026 than it was in ’25, when it combined for just 19 goals.
Martino may be helped by the team having options on contracts for several players next season, including fullbacks Brooks Lennon, Ronald Hernandez, Pedro Amador, Nyk Sessock and Matthew Edwards, strikers Jamal Thiare and Cayman Togashi, goalkeepers Jayden Hibbert and Josh Cohen and midfielder Will Reilly.
Unfortunately for Martino, among that group only Lennon, Hernandez and Amador were consistent starters in ‘25. Hibbert will compete with whomever is signed following the retirement of Brad Guzan.
“Tata’s teams have a clear identity, and his playing style and leadership qualities align with our club values,” Henderson said in a statement from the club. “His success, along with his understanding of our league, is well established and we look forward to welcoming him back to Atlanta.”
Doug Roberson covers the Atlanta United and Major League Soccer.
Doug Roberson covers the Atlanta United and Major League Soccer.
