Gonzalo Pineda has the great challenge of his career as coach of Atlanta United, a team that not long ago was champion in MLS and today is experiencing a crisis.
Pineda will get his first shot as a head coach in soccer, and given the Atlanta roster, the goals he faces are ambitious.
The picture is not easy considering that he is taking the team in the middle of the season, however, the group is confident in the possibilities and they have begun to show good things.
Order chaos
Amid the chaos due to the managerial transition, Atlanta United has shown that it has a strong group that is eager to fight to climb the ranks. For the first time in more than a year, since the start of the 2020 season, that Atlanta was unable to spin two wins, so Gonzalo Pineda will arrive seeking to extend the positive inertia of the group.
It should be remembered that, since the announcement, Pineda has not been able to officially join the team after testing positive for COVID-19. Rob Valentino is the one who has served as interim coach since Gabriel Heinze’s departure. This Wednesday, it will be the last game that Valentino directs before the arrival of Gonzalo, although the former American player will remain as an auxiliary in the team.
The players have endorsed what Rob did on the court and the difference was immediately apparent. Before the two consecutive wins, Atlanta was immersed in the worst streak in its short history with eight games without a win; one of the triggers for the departure of the Argentine coach, among other group management issues.
“It’s them, their mentality (as a team), it’s not me. We as staff, of course, have tried to help them. The first thing has been to lead by example, that they see that we care about the team, that we are going to help them and give them the tools. I hope they see it. I am not saying that this did not happen before, but the main thing is the relationships in the team. Without you have rules, but without a relationship, there is chaos. We focus on those interpersonal relationships and the credit goes to the players ”, explained Valentino before the resounding change of the team since he took over as interim.
Chaos in the dressing room
It is a reality that the dressing room was beaten. Since Frank de Boer was the coach, there was talk of problems inside. Now, with Gabriel Heinze, reports also came to light according to various publications, where they ensured that the footballers had issued a complaint to the Players Association for breaking with regulations on the basic integrity of the player. The leadership limited itself to saying that the Argentine coach’s departure was due to “a variety of issues related to the daily leadership of the team.”
As for the transition of the group from Rob Valentino to Gonzalo Pineda, the difference will not be much. Pineda is coming off a highly successful program at the Seattle Sounders as an assistant to Brian Schmetzer, in addition to his career as a soccer player. In his introductory press conference, Pineda expressed that he prioritizes the human relationship with the player.
“I like to get attached to my players,” he said.
The first thing Gonzalo did at the end of the last game, when they beat LAFC, was to send a text message to Rob Valentino congratulating them on the victory and asking him to express to the group his pride in the effort.
Recover Josef Martínez
When you think of Atlanta United, you think of their star Josef Martinez. The Venezuelan forward had a difficult 2020, struggling to recover from a torn ligament in his knee. Multiple surgeries and complications later, Josef was back on the court in 2021. It is yet to be seen that explosive scorer version of years gone by, but he is on that path of returning. Add five goals at the moment.
“We haven’t done much these two games (to change as a team), just enjoy ourselves. My relationship with Rob (Valentino) goes back many years. All we want is to build this club, because people like Rob, now with Professor Pineda and people who have been here since day one, we know what this club represents for us.
We know that we are in a difficult moment, the important thing is to keep working and fighting, we feel the club. We feel like people when we lose, we don’t like it, we have to move on and enjoy, ”said Josef Martínez after his first home goal of the tournament last Sunday.
One of the great sins of Heinze, were differences with Josef. To the degree that, the forward considered leaving the institution. But that has remained in the past, as Josef himself expressed, and he is more than ever committed to the red and black.
2:13
The new Atlanta United strategist spoke about the role of the Mexican coach abroad.
Fight the Eastern Conference
Atlanta United is ranked number nine with 21 units in the Eastern Conference, or five units from playoff spots. The outlook is promising for Atlanta, as all is not lost. There are fifteen games left in the tournament for the team and nine of them are at home at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“(We have to) make ourselves respected at home, for many years we did that, when people came here they trembled or knew they had to run twice as much, this victory makes us have more confidence,” said Josef Martínez.
For now, the last home game against LAFC was a great result for them. Despite being outmatched by the rival in the process of the game, they found a way to win and capitalize on the mistakes, something that fills them with confidence. They will have a new opportunity to repeat the dose this Wednesday when they host Toronto FC.
“Atlanta got us used to being at the top from the beginning and anything less than that is seen as a failure, but it is not like that. Atlanta has done many things well, ”Pineda said in his virtual presentation. I hope that, with the cohesion that the good results give you and being able to make the connection of these games, reach the playoffs. That would give us a balm of confidence as an institution and we would be very dangerous in the playoffs ”.
Gonzalo Pineda sticks to his experience as a player and technical assistant, to seek to bring the Atlanta ship to fruition. He undoubtedly has a talented squad to pull it off. In addition to Josef, he has the seniority and experience of Brad Guzan in the arc, the great moment and leadership of Miles Robinson in defense, the creativity of Ezequiel Barco, Mexican players you meet in Jurgen Damm and Cubo Torres, among many other young talent.
“(Atlanta) in its short history has shown that it is a club made for greatness and that attracts me a lot. I have had the fortune to play in big teams, Pumas, Cruz Azul, Chivas, Seattle, and I have lived with this type of pressure all my life, I do not see it as an extra pressure, but I take it as a great motivation with a club that gives you all the resources to be successful, ”Pineda said.