As I read more about Jeff Larentowicz, and who he is as a person, I really hope we hire him as a coach somewhere in the Atlanta United system. Having watched his cooking video with his kid, I also really hope he coaches a rec league team and pwns a bunch of 11-year-olds. And that somebody posts a video of it to the internet.
I don’t mean this as a “I told you so” moment (that’s not directed at you or anyone except the Atlanta FO), but I think we could all predict (besides the pandemic) that 2020 was going to be a dumpster fire when the FO broke up a winning team and brought in a bunch of fringe guys and left so many holes in our line-up. We never should have sold Julian Gressel, Tito Villalba, and LGP. Meanwhile, we kept the non-producers, Barco and Pity - although I’ll concede that I would have kept Barco too; even we kept Remedi - who should have been made expendable. Anytime we were going to count on Mo-stinking-Adams to do anything except be a spot to fill on the bench outside of playing for Atlanta 2, we should have all known that this season was going to be a disaster.
We were trying to keep Barco and Pity until someone made an offer that gave us a real profit. I get it. That's why they got chance after chance, in a system with which both were unfamiliar. We should have kept LGP, Gressel and Tito for sure, if we could (I don't know what the cap looked like with them). What turned all this on its ear was hiring de Boer.
Vanney has left TFC. Might be headed for LA. I don't know who Toronto might want to replace him, but there's a possibility that we could be looking at some of the same potential hires.
https://www.ajc.com/sports/atlanta-...-of-hiring-heinze/RNUUOBWODBCQBMNEONWILV3PYA/ Roberson says a Heinze hire is close. dirtysouthsoccer.com/atlanta-united-fc/2020/12/4/22154407/report-gabriel-heinze-one-step-away-from-becoming-atlanta-united-manager Both these articles are borderline unkind to de Boer, FWIW
Can't say I'm surprised, if true. Certainly fits the profile of South American name brand but not so big as to be beyond MLS. The questions now become a) will he help Atlanta land 1 or 2 difference makers, and b) can he do more than just a layman's job like all the other coaching hires of similar type (Schellotto, Almeyda...)?
Schellotto was frankly disappointing in LA. I'd argue Almeyda did a fine job, though. With one of the lower-end payrolls in the league, San Jose made the playoffs and went on an end-of-season run that was pretty impressive. I'm optimistic.
Would you take Almeyda in Atlanta? Or is he just good enough for San Jose? There was enough hype about Almeyda's hire to suggest he's the real deal. I can't say how he figures into their personnel decisions and I know they play some exciting ball sometimes but I also think he puts out some odd lineups/formations that can leave some players out to dry. Quakes fans I know hope he can take them up a level (ie: regular postseason play) but don't seem convinced he's the one to get them beyond that.
I'd rephrase that to read, "Will the FO allow him to help them land one or two difference makers?" IIRC, LA was Zlatan and not much more the season before GBS got there. He did get them to the playoffs, FWIW. I'd be interested in knowing what kind of signings they made before the 2019 and 2020 seasons began.
I'd be OK with an Almeyda type in Atlanta. I mean, their top striker is literally a greybeard. Nobody on the team had double-digit goals or assists this year. But fifteen Quakes got on the scoresheet in the course of the season, and fourteen players had assists. I'd be interested to see what he could do with some blue chip players. Looking at the stat sheets for the past couple of years, what has DC United been doing with Gressel? He had double-digit assists every season in Atlanta--even under deBoer, and this year he has 3. Can we just hire him back? No idea what his cap hit would be, though.
Last I checked Gressel makes about $700k @ DCU. By comparison Lennon gets (I think) about $200k. Not sure what Damm makes.
$700k is too much for DCU Gressel. But I think it's extremely acceptable for DirecTV Gressel. I'd be OK hiring him back at that rate if Heinze is more like Tata and if Josef is back over 9000.
Well, the manager who hasn't been officially announced is now making some suggestions about players. CM Agustin Almendra from Boca Juniors is the latest rumor...
He'd be a good get. Not sure how he'd fit in the lineup but IMO he's a more productive tram attacker than Barco.
The worst-kept secret in the game is now official... https://www.atlutd.com/post/2020/12...hXYw7bz_h5cXwySKAKm_BQXjWGaPqQ3LerMASO9rjyfnA 2-year contract...
Would prefer a 3rd year for negotiation purposes but I see what they're doing. The key here is that the club needs to be clear and coordinated in making sure they all agree on what they're trying to do. Fingers crossed. In the meantime, welcome to Atlanta Coach Heinze! Vamos Atlanta.
Meh, that was inevitable. While MLS has made huge strides their financial wasn't so great that they could endure a huge setback two seasons in a row. But like past sports lock-outs/hold-outs they'll eventually find a solution. I don't see this doing much more than delaying the season. Fortunately Atlanta was positioned financially that even under tighter budget constraints it shouldn't affect them too greatly.
Right back - Ronald Hernandez signs for Atlanta United from Aberdeen. How many right backs do we need? In a league with a salary cap, that money would have been better spent elsewhere. I swear the FO has gone full stupid in their club signings. Is this Bocanegra’s decision making? If so, it might be time for him to go.
<Richly-accented tenor voiceover from a Spanish-language network> ATLANTA DAMN UNITED 2021- BROUGHT TO YOU BY... HEINZEVISION! <RATV> coming soon to a pitch near you! Seriously, those guys can make toothpaste sound exciting. Vamos!
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/pl...Lwp83prPQzZmvx4hqYY4nCpnP6doSuRvyvKKwQ57k3asc Paulie Pau-lie Oh, Paulie Mc We hope you're coming back Good news if true. McDonough played as yuge a role as anyone in the building of our 2017 and 2018 rosters, before being lured away by the bright lights and dizzy heights of Vice City.