Gonzalo Pineda, the longest-tenured head coach in Atlanta United history, was dismissed on Monday.
Pineda, 41, led Atlanta to two playoff berths in the past three seasons, but the club is currently 13th (4-8-4, 16 points) in the Eastern Conference and has one win in its last 11 matches (1-6-4). Atlanta has also lost five straight at home.
Rob Valentino was elevated from assistant coach to interim coach, while assistants Diego de La Torre and Eugenio Villazon were also let go from their positions. Goalkeeper coach Liam Curran was retained.
Pineda, who joined Atlanta in August 2021, finished with a 34-34-29 record in three-plus seasons in his first head coaching role. He previously was an assistant with the Seattle Sounders.
“We are grateful to Gonzalo for his commitment and dedication to the club over the last four seasons. He has been an exemplary ambassador for the organization, and we want to thank him for his contributions to the club,” team CEO and president Garth Lagerwey said in a release.
“We made this decision in an effort to move the team in a new direction. As we continue to evaluate all aspects of our sporting operation, Rob will have our full support to turn our season around in the second half.”
–Field Level Media
