Atlanta United’s Gonzalo Pineda under fire: ‘My players know’ plan to stop Messi

When Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda stood in front of a group of reporters on Tuesday, no one would have ever known that the 41-year-old was (and is going through) the most difficult period of his three years in Atlanta.

Atlanta United is in 12th place in the Eastern Conference with 13 points from 14 matches. The club is currently in the middle of a nine-game winless streak. To date, Pineda’s team has scored one goal in 434 minutes of football and has not recorded a victory away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in 11 matches.

“Of course we want to get out of this situation,” Pineda said. “We must continue. We just have to keep going, head down, keep working, keep working, keep doing the things that we do.

The team will have a tough task to emerge from their poor form: Atlanta United will face Inter Miami on Wednesday night in Fort Lauderdale, with Lionel Messi, Sergio Busquets and Luis Suarez all likely to play after missing this long-haul trip. weekend in Vancouver. Inter Miami won this match 2-1 without the star trio and are currently at the top of the Supporters’ Shield standings.

For Atlanta, what began as a season full of promise instead reopened old wounds from years past, just in time for a visit to the club’s first manager, Tata Martino, in South Florida.

GO FURTHER

Absence of Lionel Messi in Vancouver: “My brother came from Italy to see him”

Even though Atlanta United beat Miami 5-2 last September in Atlanta (Messi missed the match due to injury), Miami’s 4-0 victory over Atlanta in the League Cup group stage l last summer remains fresh in the minds of Atlanta fans. Messi scored a brace that day and Atlanta was punished for its naive defense and notable lack of midfield bite.

Pineda said there is a plan to limit Messi’s influence tomorrow night.

“My players know that,” Pineda said confidently. “My players know what we are going to try. As always, sometimes it’s just about limiting the danger that (Inter Miami) can cause. (Messi) is the best (player) at the moment and we just have to limit the factors and the connections he can have because he is not the only player on the pitch.

As speculation mounts regarding his job security, Pineda remained true to his belief as the face of the franchise on Tuesday. Pineda said recently that the short-term goal of his team and players was to stop the bleeding. But that didn’t happen.

Atlanta lost four straight home games for the first time in the club’s short history, sparking discontent among fans and calls for a change in management from the club, starting with Pineda.

“I don’t listen,” Pineda said. “I put on my airpods. I put on classical music and opera music and I work and I continue to work. I know what is probably being said. I haven’t read it and I haven’t heard about it. But I know it’s normal when you don’t do good, people say bad things about you.

Pineda said the pressure he faces is part of his job, whether the team loses or wins. He said he feels supported by the club’s front office and that communication with the team’s technical director Carlos Bocanegra, to whom Pineda reports, remains constant. It seems that for now, Pineda is not on an island.

GO FURTHER

MLS players to watch in the summer transfer window

“My daily routine is the same,” Pineda said. “I work very hard with my coaching staff, putting in the hours in the building that we need to prepare the players as best we can.”

Bocanegra, along with former club president Darren Eales, surprised the MLS world after hiring Pineda in 2021 when he was an assistant with the Seattle Sounders. Bocanegra has hired Atlanta United’s last three head coaches. Before Pineda, Frank de Boer and then Gabriel Heinze were both fired after long runs of poor results.

It is ironic that Martino, who left an indelible mark on the club, could be the opposing coach who plunges Atlanta United into a similar decision.

“It doesn’t distract me from my work,” Pineda said of the feelings within the team. “I try to do the best I can… everything is balanced when you believe in the process and what you’re doing.” We are continuing what we are doing, trying to do it better.

On Tuesday, the players laughed and turned pale during the rondos. They sprinted in unison during a warm-up session and looked sharp before tactical drills began. If you didn’t know that, you would assume that Atlanta United’s season is going as planned.

Backup goalkeeper Josh Cohen will start against Inter Miami on Wednesday due to captain Brad Guzan’s red card suspension. On Tuesday, Cohen told reporters that the players have dedicated themselves to “supporting each other” during this difficult time. Right now, Cohen said, the sense of urgency has changed.

“Now the message is a little bit like: We have to have this fight, this inner drive. Every moment, every challenge,” Cohen said.

(Photo: Jeff Dean/Getty Images)