Atlanta United announced in a statement on Monday that it has fired head coach Gonzalo Pineda.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after the club lost to Charlotte FC for its sixth loss in 11 games and its fifth straight home loss.
“We are grateful to Gonzalo for his commitment and dedication to the club over the last four seasons,” Atlanta United CEO and President Garth Lagerwey said in the statement. “He has been an exemplary ambassador for the organization, and we want to thank him for his contributions to the club. We made this decision in an effort to move the team in a new direction.”
United also fired assistant coaches Diego de la Torre and Eugenio Villazon, but retained goalkeeper coach Liam Curran. Assistant coach Rob Valentino is now the interim coach while Atlanta looks for Pineda’s successor.
Curran and Valentino were both coaches under previous coach Gabriel Heinze, who was, similarly to Pinda, fired during a winless slump in the 2021 season. Valentino served as interim coach until Pineda was hired in August of 2021.
Under Pineda, the team achieved a 34-34-39 record, reaching the playoffs two times in both seasons. Atlanta was eliminated in the opening round both times. United currently sits 13th in the Eastern Conference and 24th in the league with a record of 4-4-8. Pineda’s contract was set to expire at the end of this season.
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