Gonzalo Pineda wants Atlanta United to connect more with community

Atlanta United’s Gonzalo Pineda said one of the challenges he faces as a first-time manager is learning how to work with all of the club’s departments.

As an assistant with Seattle in his previous job, Pineda’s focus almost exclusively was on the players, with some aspects of working with communications and operations.

Now, in addition to the players, he will interact much more with marketing, public relations, communications, digital, operations, facilities, the front office, the academy and Atlanta United 2, to name a few. Pineda described all the departments as very important.

“I just have to find a way to be focused on the team,” he said. “But at the same time managing all the different parts of the club. I would say that’s the most significant change that I can see. Managing the players and my coaching staff, I think I’m very familiar with.”

Credit: Doug Roberson

Credit: Doug Roberson

In a change from the team’s previous manager, Gabriel Heinze, who was fired after 17 games, Pineda made a point of meeting with every department virtually before he arrived to take over the team. There were departments that Heinze didn’t meet with for weeks after his arrival.

Pineda said meeting everyone who works for the team is part of his values. He also wants he and the players to connect more with the the supporters. The team already does numerous things on game day, including a walk to the stadium and walk to the field, as well as the Golden Spike and man-of-the-match award after the match. Before COVID-19, there would be in-person meet-and-greets with players. Atlanta United’s managers haven’t been a huge part of those initiatives, either from ideas or participation.

“They do a fantastic job at connecting with the community,” he said of the team. “But I would like to have a little bit more impact on what we do off the field with the fans. That for me is a priority. But I haven’t gotten into the specific things.”

One of Pineda’s first steps in connecting with the community, which he didn’t take credit for Tuesday, was to open the final 30 minutes of training to media ahead of his first interview with a large group of journalists in Atlanta. Typically, only the first 15 minutes of training are open. Partially because of COVID protocols, no part of training was open under Heinze. There were more TV crews at the practice than have been in attendance at one time since perhaps Frank de Boer’s introduction in 2019.

Pineda’s words shouldn’t be considered empty. Among his strengths, he said, are organization and collaboration. He wants to collaborate with his assistants, with the players and with the other departments.

“It’s a great organization with people working here silently, sometimes in the shadows, sometimes in the offices, but they are great, great looking to improve the team and to connect with the society, with the fans, with the community, and also to improve the team,” he said. “So I’m super-happy.”

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