Atlanta United brings back Deila to MLS as new coach

ATLANTA (AP) — Atlanta United hired Ronny Deila as its new coach on Friday, bringing him back to Major League Soccer three years after he guided New York City FC to a championship.

The 49-year-old Norwegian manager agreed to a three-year deal to replace Rob Valentino, who served as interim coach after Gonzalo Pineda was fired in early June.

The hiring of Deila completes a overhaul of Atlanta United's leadership team. Chris Henderson was brought in Monday as chief soccer officer and sporting director.

Both Henderson and Deila will report directly to team president and CEO Garth Lagerwey, who has stressed that each will have clearly defined roles. Henderson will be in charge of building the roster, while Deila will handle on-field duties.

Deila brings more than 17 years of head coaching experience across several countries and has won a total of six trophies, including four league titles and two domestic cup competitions.

“It was critically important to us to find a proven winner,” Lagerwey said during a Zoom call with Atlanta media. “We believe we did that with Ronny.”

Deila's only previous experience in MLS was two-plus seasons at New York City FC, which was highlighted by an MLS Cup title in 2021.

Atlanta United had immediate success after entering the league in 2017, making the playoffs in its debut season and winning the MLS Cup the following year, while setting numerous league attendance records.

But the team hasn't claimed a trophy of any kind since the 2019 season, when it captured both the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup in addition to making a run to the MLS Eastern Conference final.

Atlanta has gone through five coaches in the last five seasons, including Valentino serving two stints as interim coach.

Despite the drop-off, Deila said United has everything it needs to be a championship contender, from state-of-the-art training facilities to a fervent fan base that has led MLS in attendance at 71,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium every season since joining the league.

“I see the eagerness to win and that’s a thing that I really, really want to achieve together with all these guys,” Deila said.

Lagerwey fired both Pineda and technical director Carlos Bocanegra, who had been with the team since its inception, during this past season. Atlanta barely qualified for the playoffs with the lowest point total of any postseason team, then pulled off a stunning upset of Lionel Messi and Supporters' Shield winner Inter Miami before losing to Orlando in the conference semifinals.

Henderson made his first major move on Friday, acquiring midfielder Mateusz Klich from D.C. United in exchange for Atlanta’s first-round pick in the 2025 MLS SuperDraft.

The 34-year-old Klich, a native of Poland, signed with D.C. United ahead of the 2023 season after a long career in Europe. He has started 62 of 63 matches over the last two years, scoring six goals to go along with 22 assists.

Now, Atlanta is turning to Deila in hopes that he can lead the team to the kind of success it had in its first three seasons.

Deila landed in Atlanta the same week he was fired by Al Wahda in the United Arab Emirates, where he lasted only about five months in his most recent job. He was vague on the reasons for his dismissal, but Atlanta United was thrilled that he was available.

“Working with somebody like Ronny, the way he talks about people, the way he talks about building relationships, the way he talks about collaborating, the way he talks about leadership, I think those are all really consistent with our core values,” Lagerwey said.

Deila said he plans to install an attacking style of play that was a hallmark of Atlanta United during its first two years under coach Gerardo Martino.

“My style is very offensive,” Deila said. “You can defend to maybe not get relegated or to keep up, but if you’re gonna win something, you have to play yourself into it. You have to take charge in the games and and be — especially at home — very, very dominant in what you’re doing.”

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