Gerardo “Tata” Martino will coach his final game with Atlanta United at MLS Cup on Saturday, and the club is already lining up his replacement.
According to Argentinian news outlet TYC Sports, Atlanta brass, including president Darren Eales and sporting director Carlos Bocanegra, are in Argentina to negotiate with former MLS MVP and current Boca Juniors manager Guillermo Barros Schelotto as a replacement for Martino.
Darren Eales, presidente del Atlanta United, y Carlos Bocanegra, director deportivo, están en el país para reunirse con Guillermo Barros Schelotto, el apuntado para suceder a Martino. El "Mellizo" avisó que no quiere verse hasta terminar de competir. También estarán con G. Milito pic.twitter.com/Fqd9kaoqqi
— César Luis Merlo (@CLMerlo) December 3, 2018
Schelotto spent three years with the Columbus Crew, where he made 118 appearances and scored 38 goals. He was named MLS MVP in 2008, when he helped lead the Crew to their only MLS Cup title.
The midfielder spent the bulk of his career with Boca Juniors in his native Argentina, where he won the Copa Libertadores four times. He also has ten caps with the Argentinian National Team.
His coaching career began shortly after his retirement in 2012 with Lanus in Argentina. After three years there, he took over at Boca Juniors after nearly getting hired at Palermo in Italy. His Boca team has won back-to-back Argentinian Premier League titles and currently sit at the top of the league. His side will play local rivals River Plate in the second leg of the much publicized final of the Copa Libertadores Final in Madrid next Sunday.
Vamos United! Vamos Guillermo! I so hope that he will be in the building when we left the cup on Saturday
I wish more MLS haters would see this. They think that MLS is only for losers and 37-year old players who get paid gazillions. Here is a team about to snatch the coach from best team in Argentina and he actually wants to coach here
What a fantastic hire if they can pull it off. Atlanta is out here doing things I wish every MLS team did.
That’s a long shot.
I see him landing at either Atlanta or LA.
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He has already stated that he wants to come back to MLS and coach, as well as interviewing for previous coaching spots in the league.
Art Blank is going to get his man. This would be a huge hire for Atlanta and MLS.