Blog: Debunking rumors saturating Atlanta United

I’m sure that Almiron will be sold in the winter window, which is between MLS seasons. I’ve said this on numerous radio stations, tweeted it and wrote it for months. I never thought he was going to be sold during the recently closed summer window, even as rumors insisted that he would be and I continued to say that he wouldn’t. Atlanta United had too much still left to play for, and it still does. It is the favorite to win the Supporters’ Shield and the MLS Cup. It needs Almiron, who is recovering from a strained hamstring sustained in the recent 2-1 win against New England.

This belief was based upon covering the franchise since its inception, conversations with front office personnel and having some acumen as to the team’s goals and how it wants to accomplish them. It also doesn’t hurt that Almiron, Martino and others have said as much.

Turning to the recent rumor that simply won’t die, will Almiron be sold to Arsenal? He may. Has he been sold? No.

As I have tweeted and written, the original “report” tying Almiron to Arsenal was based upon a fabricated quote that was attributed to Darren Eagles (not Eales), Atlanta United’s president. The “report” was nothing more than a tweet. Dirty South Soccer took a deeper dive into that tweet and is worth a read.

Despite the lack of sourcing and the fabrication of the quote, the “report” (I will keep using quotes around that word because I’m being sarcastic) has taken on a life of its own that has reached the point of absurdity. Other outlets have based reports on the tweet, which again, had no sourcing and a fabricated quote from a non-existent person. If Darren Eagles is real and does exist, I apologize, but I know you don’t work for Atlanta United.

So, there’s that.

There’s also Eales (the real Eales, not Eagles) telling a local radio station that he wouldn’t get out of bed to even listen to the reported price tag of 11 million pounds that Almiron was “reportedly” being sold for. Eales said interested teams would need to triple that for the player that has 21 goals and 28 assists since 2017. Tripling that would be a price tag of $43 million. I think Eales was exaggerating, but it’s clear that $11 million pounds, which is the equivalent of $14.4 million, isn’t going to do it.

I would have thought that would killed that “report.” God, no. It’s still going.

So, like tea needs sugar, soccer needs rumors.

Again, has Almiron been sold to Arsenal? Not yet, is my belief.

Will Almiron be sold to Arsenal? He may.

Almiron may also stay should Atlanta United qualify for the CONCACAF Champions’ League. They only need one more point to do so.

Almiron may also be sold to any OTHER TEAM IN THE WORLD. Eales has said buying young players, developing said player and selling that player for the right price, to the right team and in the right situation is the club’s working model.

Debunking the next rumor is a bit more tricky because it’s been 12 days since I last had a chance to ask Martino about the myriad rumors surrounding his future.

There have been numerous reports, all again even lacking the word source, much less actual attribution, tying Martino to the Mexico job.

One report says he has received a hefty offer.

Another says he will take the job on Dec. 8, a date that is significant because it is also when the MLS Cup will be played. I don’t see Martino walking off the podium, handing Eales his Atlanta United red shirt and black sweater, and then donning a red sweater and green shirt of Mexico before leaving the room.

Another report says Claudio Ranieri, recently famous for shockingly guiding Leicester City to the Premier League title in 2016, is considering an offer to manage Mexico.

So “report” after “report” after “report.”

Martino said as recently as Oct. 5 that he hadn’t had any conversations with any club or federation other than Atlanta United for the past few weeks. He doesn’t have an agent, so there’s not a hair to split regarding who was talking to whom.

Carlos Bocanegra, Atlanta United’s technical director, told the same local radio station on Tuesday to not believe everything you read about Martino and Mexico. It was surprising that Bocanegra even addressed it because the team rarely addresses rumors or speculation.

Will Martino leave Atlanta United at season’s end? He may.

Has he already agreed to become Mexico’s manager? I don’t believe so.

Will Martino leave Atlanta United at season’s end for Mexico? He may, but I would be very surprised.

Among the many reasons Martino came to Atlanta United was because it allowed him to focus exclusively on coaching. There aren’t a lot of media responsibilities, which he fulfills with a smile on his face, but still doesn’t like doing.

The pressure he feels is mostly self-generated.

It’s far different from his previous gigs managing Argentina’s national team, and before that, Barcelona. Coaching is just a small part of the responsibilities of being the face of those behemoths. I think those extra duties aren’t something that Martino wants to go back to, at least not yet.

That’s why I would be surprised if he would agree to lead Mexico. Despite its total lack of success in the world’s biggest tournament, it may be the most scrutinized national team in the world, with expectations that are wholly unfounded but rarely dismissed.

Could Martino do great things with Mexico’s talented roster? He could. Mexico’s roster is full of technically gifted players. They were a joy to watch under Juan Carlos Osorio and are the class of CONCACAF. But are they good enough to compete for a World Cup title in 2022 or 2026. That’s a stretch.

Would Martino want to deal with the scrutiny of trying to accomplish that goal? That would be surprising.

When Atlanta United goes on the road, 95 percent of the time I’m the only unaffiliated, Atlanta-based news organization that’s there to cover the team and the game. It’s just me. No Atlanta-based TV outlets. No Atlanta-based web sites.

When Mexico plays anywhere there is an army of journalists, both those based in Mexico and those based in the U.S., that cover the team. It is a caravan. Eight-minute postgame press conferences that Martino goes through on the road with me would turn into 30-minute examinations and exercises in justification from a phalanx of knowledgeable, professional journalists.

I once asked Jose Manuel de la Torre, who was managing Mexico in 2013, if the pressure was comparable to coaching the Cowboys, Yankees and Lakers at the same time.

"I don't know if it's the most difficult (job) in sports, they are all very different," he said. "What I do know, the responsibility that I do have, for the fans, is to seek and give them happiness. In Mexico, everyone's focused on what the national team does. There are a lot of things that come attached: the growth of our sport, what it represents for our league. The responsibility is pretty big."

Eric Wynalda described it at the time as "In the NFL, if you win, it doesn't matter how. You hit the reset button and go to the next game. The unfortunate scenario for Chepo (de la Torre) is when he loses, it's a disaster. When you win 1-0, which everyone should be content with, they ask, 'Why didn't you win 2-0?' If they win 2-0, 'Why didn't you win 3-0?'"

That pressure hasn’t changed, which is why I would be surprised if Martino would want to experience that again.

It does seem odd that Martino hasn’t said on the record something along the lines of he would like to stay with Atlanta United, but wants to finish the season before deciding his future.

The longer this drags out, the more likely I think it is that he will leave.

Will he leave for Mexico? Again, I would be surprised. The money would likely be tempting. The challenge, and it’s obvious Martino, like any competitor, thrives on challenges, immense but the reward immeasurable should he, or anyone, be able to lead “El Tri” to at least the fifth game in a World Cup on foreign soil in Qatar or Russia.

Enjoy your tea, sweet or not.