Interim head coach Rob Valentino talks ‘shared success’ and Atlanta United’s plans

On Friday, June 7, Atlanta United interim coach Rob Valentino spoke to local media about how he sees the club’s future and what he hopes to improve in the next 18 matches.

The 5-Stripes’ next match is June 15 against Houston Dynamo FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. They are coming off a busy May and early June with seven MLS matches and two Open Cup matches over a 30-day period. Despite this week without an MLS game for Atlanta, eight players are currently out after being called up for the June FIFA international window. Valentino said it was good that they had some time off so the team came back “refreshed.”

Valentino mentioned that thinking time could also help improve their mentality towards the game. A busy workload, in addition to poor results, can lead to fatigue.

“The next thing I want to address is getting that fun back,” Valentino said. “How we can find that on a daily basis, on and off the field – and shared success. When you look at teams and organizations, it’s not one person’s job. It’s all the fault shared in terms of where we are. There’s this responsibility and accountability. But on the other hand, I want there to be shared success. We really want to enjoy the day to day. message that comes from myself.