ATLANTA (AP) — Carlos Bocanegra, who helped build Atlanta United into an MLS champion in just its second season but couldn't get the club back to the top level, was fired Wednesday as technical director.
Bocanegra was dismissed with seven games left in another disappointing season. Atlanta is ninth in the Eastern Conference, clinging to the final playoff spot with just eight wins in 27 matches.
President and CEO Garth Lagerwey will assume Bocanegra’s duties on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
“At the end of the day, making the playoffs isn’t our goal,” Lagerwey said. "At the end of the day, winning a playoff series isn’t our goal. We’re here to win the whole thing.”
Atlanta already has been playing under an interim coach, Rob Valentino, since Gonzalo Pineda was let go in early June.
Now, the club is set for a total overhaul heading into 2025.
“We have a clean slate,” Lagerwey said. “We have an ability to kind of relaunch the franchise and we’re really excited about that opportunity.”
Lagerwey said the search for the next coach already is underway, with Valentino among the candidates. Bocanegra's successor, expected to be given the more American-style title of general manager, won't be hired until after the season and likely will be someone with extensive MLS experience.
There is no chance of hiring one person to do both jobs, Lagerwey added.
“I strongly in the separation of church and state,” he said. “You need one person to do the on-the-field, one person to do the off-the-field."
Bocanegra joined United as technical director in 2015, two years before the expansion club entered the league, and added the title of vice president as he assembled a high-scoring roster that reached the playoffs in Atlanta's debut year and won the MLS Cup in 2018.
The following year, Atlanta reached the Eastern Conference final in addition to winning the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup,
Among those signed by Bocanegra were prolific scorer Josef Martinez, who won the league's MVP award, and midfielder Miguel MAlmiron, one of the league's most dynamic players before he transferred to Newcastle.
In addition to its success on the field, Atlanta set numerous attendance records at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Carlos was a founding member of this organization,” Lagerwey noted. “He’s the one who set the bar so high winning not just the 2018 MLS Cup, but the Campeones Cup and the Open Cup, He really did a tremendous job for the organization over many years.”
Lagerwey joined the organization in late 2022 after Darren Eales left to become Newcastle's CEO.
Instituting an analytics-based approach for building the roster, Lagerwey is seeking a GM who is more in tune with that philosophy.
“The club did a tremendous number of things right at their inception,” he said. “I don’t think it’s fair for me to criticize what came before me. What I would say is in terms of the organization I want to build, I’m a lawyer by training and we used a lot of processes ... that I can carry over well to a sports organization.”
While the club continues to draw the largest crowds in MLS, the level of excitement has dipped considerably, accompanied by empty seats at home games.
Over the last four seasons, United was eliminated in the opening round of two playoff appearances and missed the postseason altogether the other two years. It hasn't finished higher than fifth in the East during that span.
Along the way, the team has fired three coaches: Frank de Boer, Gabriel Heinze after just 13 games, and Pineda this season.
The 45-year-old Bocanegra was captain of the U.S. at the 2010 World Cup and a longtime stalwart of the national squad, making 110 appearances. He played in MLS and several European circuits, including England's Premier League and the French league.
Bocanegra joined United as technical director shortly after his playing career ended.
“He was here from the beginning and deserves much credit for our MLS championship, other trophies we’ve won over the last nine years, and the way our team captured the heart of this city even before we launched in 2017,” United owner Arthur Blank said in a statement. “I will always have great affection for Carlos and his beautiful family, and deep gratitude for the passion and dedication he brought to our club over the years.”
After Pineda was dismissed, Lagerwey decided to stick with Bocanegra to handle the summer transfer window. Atlanta landed designated player Alexey Miranchuk, but it wasn't enough to persuade the club from heading in a different direction.
Lagerwey noted that United has two other designated players openings, providing the new general manager with a chance to give the club a significant overhaul for 2025.
“The reason why I came to Atlanta United is simply to win championships,” Lagerwey said. “Everything is possible here."
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