Atlanta United vice president Carlos Bocanegra said everyone at the club is angry and frustrated about the MLS team’s results this season.
“We have a big club,” he said. “People care.”
The Five Stripes, champions of MLS in 2018, have won one their past 10 games. The team is in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, outside of the playoffs, with 11 games remaining. Atlanta United will host Dallas on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Bocanegra, in his first comments to the media in more than two months, said everyone in the front office is accountable for what’s happening. He acknowledged that the team hasn’t handled the stops and starts of the season well and that not having striker Josef Martinez has hurt. He also said that there are 6-7 guys from that championship team that aren’t playing as well this season. It was a rare rebuke from Bocanegra, who followed that by saying that he believes in those players.
“We know we have good players on the roster,” he said. “They know it. We know it.”
Bocanegra said that individual mistakes made by Atlanta United’s players are being punished. He noted that of the past 12 goals conceded by the team, nine have been from restarts, including four that were restarts by the team.
“We have to shake that off,” he said.
When those mistakes are eliminated, Bocanegra said he believes the players' confidence will grow. With confidence will come more positive results.
Bocanegra said he thinks that interim manager Stephen Glass is doing a fantastic job. He said that Glass and his staff arrive before the players, stay until the last players leave, and are spending even more time with individuals players doing film sessions and training in an attempt to improve results.
“Don’t have any excuses,” Bocanegra said. “We will keep fighting. Will keep grinding.”
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