Atlanta United tried to apply what it has learned to hiring Pineda

To Atlanta United’s credit, it tried to learn from mistakes made when it hired Gabriel Heinze to its process for vetting new manager Gonzalo Pineda, who was introduced Thursday.

Heinze was fired last month after only two wins 13 MLS games. He was the first manager to be hired by the club to fail to win a trophy. First manager Gerardo Martino won the MLS Cup in 2018. Frank de Boer followed with the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in 2019.

After choosing to fire de Boer in 2020 and Heinze a few weeks ago, Atlanta United President Darren Eales said the club wanted stability. Pineda signed a contract that will take him through the 2024 season. Previous managers Martino and Heinze had two-year contracts with option years.

“Our first three seasons were incredible,” Eales said. “We need to get back to that level that we expect at Atlanta United.”

The club wanted someone who already understood the peculiarities of the MLS salary cap, budget, acquisition and release rules. Martino, de Boer and Heinze had no previous experience in MLS. Pineda has that from playing in MLS with Seattle in 2014, to joining the club as an assistant coach from 2017 until he resigned to take over at Atlanta United.

“He doesn’t need to get up to speed,” Eales said.

The club wanted someone who knows success. Pineda helped Seattle win the Supporters’ Shield as a player, and the team went to three MLS Cups while he was an assistant, winning one.

“They’ve had a great culture and great success for a long periods of time,” Eales said.

Lastly, and Eales said it’s the most important, the club wanted someone who shares the same values espoused by owner Arthur Blank. So, Pineda met face-to-face with most everyone, including with Blank on his yacht somewhere near Alaska. Because of COVID-19 and travel restrictions, face-to-face interviews when Heinze was being vetted were difficult and sometimes impossible.

“We want to get the wins, the trophies,” Eales said. “We are all greedy. We don’t want just trophies. We want to play a certain style. Of utmost importance is character. It’s not just on the pitch. It’s off the pitch. It’s about a number of aspects and factors. When we weighed that all up, we were delighted to get Gonzalo.”

There are other factors, as well.

Pineda continually referenced the importance of the team’s supporters Thursday. He said he wants the players to compete with a passion that reflects the energy of the team’s fans. Connecting with the supporters is something that Heinze didn’t do, and that de Boer tried to do but was unsuccessful.

A native of Mexico who speaks English very well, Pineda can connect with the large number of South American players on the roster, as well as those from the U.S. and countries in Europe.

Pineda also understand the importance of the media, Eales said. Between ending his playing career and starting his coaching career, Pineda worked in broadcasting as an analyst. Heinze didn’t care much about the media.

“We feel that Gonzalo ticks all those boxes,” Eales said.

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