7 candidates for Atlanta United head coach position

Atlanta United are looking for a new head coach and there are plenty of free agent managers on the market to watch.

It’s been about a month since the Five Stripes parted ways with Gonzalo Pineda, who had been at the helm of the Eastern Conference club since August 2021 and showed some improvement, but it wasn’t enough for Atlanta. Rob Valentino was named interim head coach, and you can bet Atlanta is working behind the scenes to bring in Pineda’s successor.

First, let’s remember that Atlanta is still a good place for coaches. Outside of league rules, Atlanta has no problem paying huge transfer fees to acquire top talent while they also have three designated player spots available on their roster. The team isn’t that far off from great either, it just lacks a few difference-makers and someone who knows how to get everyone pulling in the same direction.

Add to that the fact that Atlanta plays in the beautiful Mercedes-Benz Stadium and has a huge and passionate fan base, and there are already a few reasons why this should be an attractive option.

With Garth Lagerway at the helm, Atlanta can be expected to look for a proven coach with a winning record – which is definitely not the case with Pineda, as the 41-year-old was hired before Lagerway was named CEO of the club.

There have been rumours that Lagerway was not really interested in continuing the theme of making the team’s success dependent on buying talented players from South America and selling them on for a profit later – the signings of Tristan Muyumba, Bartosz Slisz, Stian Gregersen and Saba Lobjanidze all proved that.

That’s not to say Atlanta won’t sign a young player from that area again, it’s just that Lagerway knows what it takes to build a winning team after his success with the Seattle Sounders. With that in mind regarding players, what type of coaches could Atlanta turn to in order to reestablish itself as a top-tier club in Major League Soccer?

If Lagerway is hoping to bring in an experienced head coach from Europe, he looks no further than Mark van Brommel.

The former Netherlands international returns from a rather successful stint at Royal Antwerp in Belgium, where he guided the team to a domestic double in the 2022/23 season while lifting the Belgian Super Cup the previous season.

It is more likely that van Bommel will wait for another job in Europe, but perhaps he would like to become the second Dutchman after Frank de Boer to lead Atlanta from the touchline.

This one is a little out of left field, but it makes sense when you think about it.

Scott Parker rose through the coaching ranks in his native England after his playing days in the Premier League, taking charge at Fulham and Bournemouth before joining Club Brugge in late 2022.

It’s safe to say his stint in Belgium was disappointing, as he was only in charge for 12 games before being fired in March 2023. That might dissuade Atlanta from seriously considering him, but there’s a real chance he could revive his MLS coaching career with a team that has three Designated Player spots open.

Miguel Herrera could prove to be an interesting option for the Five Stripes if they are looking to hire a coach who knows the area.

While Herrera’s recent stints in Liga MX haven’t been great, he still knows a lot about the CONCACAF Champions Cup – and that’s where a club like Atlanta should be competing after all.

This is likely a shorter-term deal that Atlanta would look to avoid, but Herrera remains a viable option.

If Atlanta is looking to hire someone like van Bommel but with more experience, Niko Kovac could be a smart option.

The former Croatian national team coach is used to handling pressure having been in charge of Bayern Munich for just over a season, so one would imagine that the pressure in MLS wouldn’t really get to him.

Kovac also has experience in France with AS Monaco and another stint in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg and could seek a reset in MLS.

If Lagerway and Co. are looking for someone with MLS knowledge, then Bradley Carnell might be a good fit.

Yes, he just got fired by St. Louis CITY but his hands were tied behind his back. The team just brought in a shiny new midfielder who seems certain to become a league star, but Carnell hasn’t even had a chance to work with him.

As previously reported, Carnell would have three open DP spots to work with and could envision a return to the top of the board as he did in St. Louis’ inaugural season in 2023.

Bruce Arena may not be the most attractive option on the market for a number of reasons, including the idea that he may not want to stick around for a rebuild and the fact that he resigned as head coach of the New England Revolution due to his “inappropriate and insensitive” remarks that the league was investigating.

However, Arena’s name makes sense when you consider his MLS experience. He’s the winningest coach in league history and has a deep understanding of MLS’s unique roster rules. If there’s one coach who could stabilize this Atlanta team in a short period of time, it’s Arena.

Just a few days ago, Marcelo Gallardo was finally released by Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad after reportedly wanting to offload Karim Benzema.

Gallardo is an intriguing option for a number of reasons. He could potentially get the most out of Atlanta’s young Argentinian midfielders like Franco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa if they returned from their respective loans – but who’s to say he couldn’t get the most out of players like Xande Silva and Jamal Thiare?

Gallardo is also considered one of the best coaches in River Plate’s history. He may not be able to spend as much as River Plate on his players, but then again, there are three DP spots available in Atlanta and a team that isn’t afraid to pay a hefty transfer fee.

There’s also the fact that his son, Matias Gallardo, plays for Atlanta United 2, the team’s MLS Next Pro affiliate. Could we really see a father-son duo in Atlanta? Gallardo might need a little convincing to join the team, but it would be an absolutely perfect signing for the Five Stripes.