Atlanta United became the second Major League Soccer team to dismiss its coach during the 2021 season, because this Sunday it announced that the Argentine,
Gabriel Heinze, ceased to be the coach of the American team
, after 'The Five Stripes 'imposed the worst non-win streak in its history within the league, in addition to the separation of Josef Martínez from the starting team being made public.
A time bomb exploded in the whole of Georgia, which ended the Heinze project, just a few months after presenting the Argentine as a new coach, prior to the start of the 2021 season, in
which he had a balance of just 2 wins , 7 draws and 4 defeats in 13 games directed within the American league
, in which he accumulated eight straight games without a win.
The 'divorce' with Josef Martínez, the main figure in the history of the franchise, ended up collapsing the Heinze project within soccer in the United States,
where he accumulated a series of problems that even reached the MLS Players Association and that ended their time in MLS.
Gabriel Heinze Relieved of Duties as Atlanta United Head Coach.
Club President Darren Eales and Vice President and Technical Director Carlos Bocanegra to address the media at 4pm today.
- Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) July 18, 2021
These were some of the reasons for Gabriel Heinze's dismissal from MLS:
Broken relationship in the dressing room
According to
Fox Sports,
things were not going well in the Atlanta United locker room, as even
the MLS Players Association received a complaint on behalf of the Atlanta squad, due to the fact that the Argentine coach imposed harsh and demanding training sessions. training, and would have even limited the amount of water players could drink
during the preseason.
The tough training sessions, which were sometimes in a double session, were just some of the reasons that eroded the relationship between the Atlanta United squad and the coaching staff of Gabriel Heinze, who according to reports from Doug McIntyre,
would have also refused to granting days off to their squad to be able to train at any time, something the squad complained about to the MLSPA
, for alleged violations of the collective agreement.
"
The tactics and the football side are one thing, but so much was happening off the field that the players were mentally exhausted on a daily basis
," a source within the club told Fox.
Historical record without wins
The constant friction between Gabriel Heinze and his managers was reflected in his performance on the pitch, because in addition to being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Concacaf Champions League,
in the 2021 season of the MLS he reaped just 2 wins in 13 meetings conducted in the North American league.
Heinze's last win in MLS was in May, when they beat CF Montréal by the smallest difference and
since then they have accumulated 8 games without wins, to impose a new negative mark in the history of the franchise.
The drop that spilled the glass
Since the presentation of the 'Gringo' in the American club, one of the main unknowns would be the management of his squad due to his well-known character
and his relationship with the main figures of the squad, something that ended up 'spilling the glass' within Atlanta , after the bad relationship with Josef Martínez
, the main reference in the club's history, was made public.
The Venezuelan striker was separated from the starting squad by Gabriel Heinze's decision and had no activity since his return from the Copa América, so
'The Five Stripes' faced the last 6 games without his figure, which was acclaimed by the fans in the Mercedes-Benz Stadium
in Heinze's farewell duel against New England Revolution.
Gabriel Heinze said goodbye to Atlanta United after just a few months at the helm of the club, which has added 13 points to rank 10 in the Eastern Conference
and also announced Rob Valentino as interim coach.