Atlanta United coach Ronny Deila was fired on Sunday, a day after the end of the 5-13-16 season, the coach's first in charge of the team. The club had just one win in their last 18 matches and finished with 28 points, good for 14th place in the Eastern Conference.
There were high hopes for the season after the club hired MLS The Dale cup-winning manager paid $22 million to sign striker Emmanuel Latte Lat from Championship club Middlesbrough and re-signed Miguel Almiron from English Premier League side Newcastle United.
Atlanta United CEO and President Garth Lagerwey said a global search for a replacement will begin immediately.
“It was clear that our standards of play were not met this season and, along with our senior management team, we decided it was in the best interests of Atlanta United to take the team in a different direction,” Lagerwey said in a statement released by the team. “Ultimately, we owe it to our fans to deliver a much better gaming product, and we are committed to delivering it to this community as soon as possible.”
Lagerwey said he thanked Deila “for his time and dedication to the organization and wished him success in his future endeavors.”
The season ended with a 1-1 draw with DC United on Saturday in the final match of longtime goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who announced his retirement on Tuesday.
Deila was hired by Atlanta United on December 20, 2024. The move returns Deila to Major League Soccer three years after he led New York City FC to the 2021 MLS Cup title. Shortly afterwards, Deila left New York FC for Standard Liege and then Club Brugge, with his stays at each club lasting less than a year. He came to MLS after a career in European football that included two years in charge of Celtic.
Deila was given a three-year contract with Atlanta to replace Rob Valentino, who served as interim coach after Gonzalo Pineda was fired in June 2024.
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Atlanta United enjoyed immediate success after entering the league in 2017, making the playoffs in their debut season and winning the MLS Cup the following year, as well as setting numerous league attendance records.
Atlanta hasn't won a trophy since the 2019 season, when it captured both the US Open Cup and Campeones Cup and made it to the MLS Eastern Conference finals.
