Atlanta United and new manager Frank de Boer entered the 2019 season with sky high expectations. And for good reason. On the personnel side, Atlanta lost Miguel Almirón, but the club replaced him with Argentina international, Pity Martinez, while the rest of the side’s core remained intact.
However, while Atlanta maintained decent stability on the player side, the departure of Tata Martino saw the entire coaching staff turnover. And with only a few weeks of practices to adapt to a new system, the kinks showed in a disappointing first leg in the CONCACAF Champions League Round of 16, as the defending MLS Champions were defeated handily 3-1 by a Herediano side who were superior on the day.