What went wrong with Atlanta United in the 2026 season?

When Atlanta United brought back manager Gerardo Martino ahead of the 2026 season, fans hoped the coach who led Atlanta to the MLS Cup in 2018 would steer the ship after a five-win season last year.

Instead, Atlanta United (9-18-6) will finish the regular season Saturday at the New York Red Bulls and miss the playoffs for the third time in franchise history.

So, what went wrong?

The numbers speak for themselves. Atlanta will finish the season in the middle or bottom of the pack in every category — currently No. 24 in average goals scored (1.3), No. 19 in average goals allowed (1.7), and No. 28 in shots on target (4.2). The attack couldn’t figure itself out, even with the insertion of international star Breel Embolo; goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos has allowed 57 goals so far following the retirement of Brad Guzan, who averaged a lower rate in his career.

There were few highs but several lows to the 2026 season, something Martino did not see coming.

“I think that the analysis that I did in December of last year maybe was incorrect,” Martino said. “Not that we didn’t do an analysis, but maybe it wasn’t as correct as I thought in the moment, and that I thought we were going to have a better first half of the season than we ended up having.”

Martino indeed misjudged where the squad was at the beginning of the year. The Five Stripes got to a historically rough 1-7-1 start to the season. Martino said he “would be fired” if not for his history with the club, which featured the team’s only championship.

United leadership has cycled through four managers in the last three seasons after firing Gonzalo Pineda and Ronny Deila, with Rob Valentino serving as interim between the two. It does not seem that the same fate is imminent for Martino, but he knows that goodwill can only last so long.

“If I was arriving as the coach now, I would say don’t judge me on this upcoming sprint season, but judge me on the full season following,” Martino said. “But after having been here for a full season, I’m saying now I don’t have the right to ask for the next full season. I’m saying this sprint season for us is very important.”

The sprint season will include a 14-game schedule, which is already released, from February to May 2027 as MLS shifts to mirror international football’s fall-to-spring schedule. Martino said that change will also help mitigate the issues he and his staff faced this season.

When Martino and company realized the roster coming into the season was underperforming, they overhauled part of the team in the summer transfer window. They signed forward Breel Embolo, midfielders Mauricio Amaro and Giuliano Galoppo, and defenders Paulo Díaz and Júnior Alonso.

Martino reflected on issues stemming from those transactions, like long onboarding periods where visa issues needed sorting out, and then, as soon as they got everyone together, many had to depart for the FIFA international break. The MLS schedule change will alleviate some of those issues as the summer transfer window will occur during the offseason.

Martino has described his squad as two different teams, one before the FIFA World Cup and the one after. He is looking forward to a full preseason with this roster iteration, one where players can feel more physically fit and there is time for chemistry to develop naturally. He added that he does not think the current roster needs more change ahead of the final regular season match.

Atlanta snapped a three-game skid and picked up its first home win since August last week in a convincing 3-1 win over Toronto FC. The Five Stripes have looked better in glimpses in the latter part of the season. United outcompeted opponents in several matches, but the final score did not reflect it.