The Atlanta United manager knows there’s skepticism around his return, but he’s adamant he can steer the club out of a rough 2025 and spark a turnaround.
Gerardo 'Tata' Martino can already picture the reception from the Atlanta United crowd. It will be there in full when he walks out into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the second time, the crowd that adored him for years welcoming him home. This is the manager whom they never wanted to leave, who fled for a new opportunity – one that didn't turn out as expected.
But those 70,000 likely won't care. They won't see the failed stint with Mexico or the fact that he took a job at a rival MLS club in Inter Miami less than two years ago. They won't see the manager they knocked out of the MLS Cup playoffs in 2024, thanks to one of the most significant upsets in league history.
Instead, they will see a club legend returning, the architect of an immensely impressive expansion franchise returning to the stomping grounds where he made magic. Atlanta announced on Nov. 7 that Martino will be back in the dugout for another stint, after leaving in 2018. There are risks in reunions in soccer. They don't always go well. But Martino's Atlanta return might be a rare one that pans out.
"I know there's a saying that second acts aren't always the best. But in my case, I've done it once before, and we were able to achieve success," Martino said.
USA Today Sports 'ecision Dwe had to make'
Martino would do it all over again, he admitted. Formerly of Barcelona, with a fine resume throughout South American soccer to boot, he took the Atlanta job in 2016. He coached them for two seasons, winning MLS Cup with his final game in charge two years later. He knew, by then, that he would leave. He didn't confirm it at the time, but the Mexican national team had already, in effect, sealed the deal.
Mexico was a disaster. They started by winning the Gold Cup, but soon dropped off. Martino lost back-to-back finals to the USMNT, and oversaw a first World Cup group stage exit for El Tri since 1978. Some argued he never should have left. Martino disputes that.
"At that moment, it was the decision we had to make. And yeah, today I'm saying, if things would have gone as they have, I still would have made the same decision," he said.
He knew, too, that a coach's life is short. Nothing is ever guaranteed. Chances are sparse. Mexico may have been a failure, but it was a worthy one. And besides, he was always ready to move on if the right offer came in.
"The bags are always packed, or at least we don't pack them fully," he added.
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As for baggage? Try Atlanta, who have never really recovered from his departure, seven years down the road. The generated north of $50 million in player sales over the course of a two year period, and went big in spending it. In came Alexey Miranchuk from Atalanta. They convinced Emmanuel Latte Lath to turn down Premier League interest to move across the pond.
And then came the first reunion, with the signing of Miguel Almiron – who had fallen out of the picture at Newcastle following a career revival. The result? A 14th-placed finish in the Eastern Conference, and just five wins all season. Manager Ronny Delia was fired before the groundskeepers could fix the pitch on the final day.
Martino isn't worried.
"Our final evaluation was that the team has better players than the standings at the end of last year would indicate," Martino said. "And in our idea, the way we want to do it is to build a better team."
But the remit here is different. In 2016, he walked into a blank slate of a club that had a roster ready to compete. Bets were off, but the tools were there. Now, he's in charge of something of a rebuild.
"Of course, this is a different situation. But what we need to do now is to focus on building the current team, and not think about how we did in 2016," he said. "As the years go on for a coach, we're always learning and taking things as a learning experience and trying to put it into our next job."
Martino has experience here, too. He has managed Paraguayan side Libertad twice now. He won the league both times – and oversaw a remarkable Copa Libertadores run in his second stint.
IMAGN'We weren't able to compete better'
But he hasn't been away the whole time. Miami appointed the Argentine halfway through the 2023 season. It was of little coincidence that he arrived in South Florida at the same time as Lionel Messi – whom he had coached for both Barcelona and the Argentina national team. His time there was mixed. The Herons won Leagues Cup in 2023, and the Supporters' Shield in 2024. But the remit there was to win MLS Cup.
In a sense, then, his job can only be considered a failure. Martino sees it in a different way.
"I think we were able to help the club in a period of growth at the time, and it's a club that continues to grow and to change. But we were, we were there for that key moment. So that's all the positive, and then the negative would be, of course, that we weren't able to compete better in the regular season and playoffs," he said.
He has previously said, too, that MLS is a challenge for him. Atlanta might prove to be the same.
"I like that the league is in constant growth and evolution, and also some of the unique characteristics that the league presents, including the long travel, the different climates, and just the different ways teams play. So these are all unique things. When you go into planning for a match in MLS, it's a nice challenge," he said.
There are further changes to deal with, too. MLS announced last week that it will switch to a fall-spring calendar in 2027. Martino backed the change as a good thing for the league going forward.
"I think what the league does well is that they're taking these decisions with so much anticipation that we, who work in the league, have plenty of time to adapt and to know what we're going to be working with. It could be favorable in terms of transfer windows for players who are coming and going, because there are times where you have a key player in your team coming or going during the midseason," he said.
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Kevin C. CoxBringing the buzz back to Atlanta
And so the focus returns to Atlanta and those 70,000 fans. Martino was there at the beginning for its now-clear reputation as a soccer city. Mercedes-Benz has held Copa America and Club World Cup games.
Atlanta is one of 11 host cities for the 2026 World Cup. An NWSL team is coming to the city and will enter the league in 2028 as part of a massive expansion. This city has always embraced the game. Martino was never truly charged with building it himself, but his association with Atlanta soccer simply cannot be ignored.
"I've been involved with soccer in the city from the beginning. It's not a minor thing. This season, we're going to try and do our best on the field, but it has been a great thing to be a part of," he said.
Those are the things worth holding onto. There will be discussions about potential acquisitions and roster moves. The Josef Martinez reunion has already been floated, and there are reports that the 32-year-old could also return to his former club (Martino has denied that any talks have taken place). The manager, for his part, has insisted that the focus is on a good preseason. The squad, if it roughly stays the same, seems well-suited to Martino's favored 4-2-3-1 system.
But those are all the specifics. The bigger picture? Making sure that the dangerous return act pans out – from as soon as he steps onto the pitch.
"That first moment, the first time, it will be very exciting to reunite with the fans and our wonderful fan base, and from all the memories that we had," he said. "But that's only one moment."