Atlanta United official: Martino returns as team coach and the two parties sign a contract until 2027

Hupu News November 06: Atlanta United, a major league team, officially announced that it has appointed Gerardo "Tata "Martino as the team's head coach and has signed a contract with the Argentinian coach until the 2027 season. Martino will report to the club's chief football officer and sporting director Chris Henderson.

The 62-year-old coach once again returned to a familiar place. He coached Atlanta United from 2017 to 2018, leading the team to complete the most successful expansion team in the history of the Major League in just two years and win the Major League Championship in 2018.

Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank said: "We are very pleased to welcome Martino back. He is an exceptional coach who set the standard of excellence for the club and shaped the team's unique identity in MLS. Today he continues to succeed on the global stage. We know there is still a lot of work to be done to return to championship level. This moment is not about nostalgia; Build a new foundation and comply with the development direction of the league. Tata is a practitioner of our values. He has a championship mentality in any position, and we are full of expectations for the future."

As the first coach in the club's history, Martino led the team to make a historic debut in the 2017 season and won the championship the following year, becoming the first expansion team to win the MLS Championship since 1998. During his coaching period, Atlanta United scored 140 goals, accumulated 124 points, and had a goal difference of 56 goals in the league, both ranking first in the league during the same period, and became the second team in MLS history to score 70+ goals in two consecutive seasons. Martino himself was also elected as the MLS Coach of the Year in 2018.

Sporting Director Henderson said: "As we go deeper into the coach selection process, Martino has always been the most suitable candidate. Not only has he helped the club establish a standard of excellence, but his coaching philosophy and leadership fully align with our values. His experience and record of success in MLS are unquestioned, and we welcome him back to Atlanta."

Martino himself said: "I would like to thank Arthur and Ke Reese has given me the opportunity to return to this city and this club that I have so many memories with. Today’s project is different from when I first took charge, but with the cooperation of all parties in the club, our goal is still to build a team that our fans can be proud of every time they step into the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.”

Martino’s coaching career spans South America, Europe and North America, and has won 11 championships so far. He has coached clubs such as Newell's Old Boys, Barcelona, ​​Atlanta United and Inter Miami.

While at Inter Miami (2023–24 season), he led the team to win the first two trophies in club history: the 2023 UEFA Cup championship and the 2024 regular season standings championship. In the 2024 season, Miami set league records of 74 points and 79 goals in a single season, leaping from 27th place the previous year to become the standings champion.

In the 2013-14 season when coaching Barcelona, ​​he led the team to finish second in La Liga and win the Spanish Super Cup, and also led the team to the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Previously, during his time at Newell's Old Boys (2011–13), he built the AFC Champions League from a relegated team and led the team to the semi-finals of the Copa Libertadores in 2013.

In his early years, he established prestige in Paraguayan clubs and led the team to win 4 league championships from 2002 to 2006, including coaching Libertad's three championships (2002, 2003, 2006) and Cerro Porteño's 2004 championship.

At the national team level, Martino has coached the Paraguay, Argentina and Mexico national teams. While coaching Paraguay from 2007 to 2011, the team reached the quarterfinals of the 2010 World Cup (the best in team history) and the 2011 Copa America final. While coaching Argentina (2014-2016), he led the team back to the number one ranking in the world and reached two consecutive America's Cup finals with a total record of 20 wins, 4 draws and 5 losses. Coaching Mexico (2019–2022), he achieved 42 wins, 11 draws and 13 losses, won the 2019 Gold Cup, and led the team to participate in the 2022 World Cup.

As a player, Martino played for Newell's Old Boys for many years, making 505 appearances (a club record) and winning three Argentinian Serie A championships.