ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta United fired coach Gonzalo Pineda on Monday, less than 24 hours after suffering another defeat in Major League Soccer that pushed the team’s chances of a playoff berth even further out of reach.
The team announced the change following a 3-2 home loss to Charlotte in front of more than 61,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
In the final 11 games without Pineda, United managed just one win – a surprising 3-1 away win last week against MLS leader Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. The team has one win, six losses and four draws in that span, dropping them to 13th in the Eastern Conference and 24th overall in MLS.
Assistant coach Rob Valentino will serve as interim coach while Atlanta searches for Pineda’s replacement.
“We thank Gonzalo for his dedication and commitment to the club over the past four seasons,” club CEO and chairman Garth Lagerwey said in a statement. “We have made this decision to move the team in a new direction, and we will fully support Rob as he works to turn things around in the second half of the season as we continue to evaluate all aspects of our sporting operations.”
United have also sacked assistant coaches Diego de la Torre and Eugenio Villazon, while goalkeeping coach Liam Curran will remain in his current role.
Pineda has led Atlanta to a record of 34 wins, 34 losses and 39 ties in league play since taking over as head coach in the 2021 season. The team has made the playoffs twice in his four seasons at the helm, but lost in the opening round both times.
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AP MLS: https://apnews.com/hub/major-league-soccer
