Major League Soccer today announced Atlanta United head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino was named the 2018 MLS Coach of the Year. A two-time finalist for the award, Martino picked up his first award after guiding Atlanta through another record-breaking season in 2018.
Behind a second-place finish in the league table, Atlanta outscored every MLS club this year, becoming just the second team in league history to score 70-plus goals in back-to-back seasons. Atlanta also finished with 69 points, which tied the previous all-time league record, and posted a +26-goal-differential, which ranked second. Martino’s team also produced the most road wins (10) and points (32) in the post-shootout era during the 2018 campaign and the club qualified for the 2019 Concacaf Champions League by securing the best record in MLS over the last two seasons.