Atlanta United announced on Friday that it parted ways with manager Frank de Boer was surprising. Not in the typical way that news would surprise you in any other sport. It was surprising because this kind of thing rarely happens in MLS. Atlanta’s decision to go in a different direction about a year and a half after hiring a renowned coach is a sign of the intention to maintain the “big club” status it has garnered since 2017.
When you think of the powerful traditional football clubs in the world, you think of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United, etc. In almost every major league in the world, the competitive aspect is extremely fierce. If a manager is not performing and the team’s struggles are obvious, a layoff is to be expected. Now move on to MLS where there is nothing fierce about competitiveness. Coaches sometimes last for decades simply by acting in the most mediocre way (see: Olsen, Ben).
Since its inception, Atlanta United has built its reputation as one of the biggest clubs in MLS with the ambition to be one of the best in all of North America. Trying to let Frank de Boer out of the deep hole he had gotten into would have been a safe move. No one would really have questioned it. So what if the club is not in first place? There are plenty of playoff spots to try to sneak in. They found a hot streak last season, who says they can’t do it again?
Instead, the Atlanta office realized that there was an undeniable problem with the current situation at the club. Rather than go with the flow that most MLS clubs have played, they made the difficult decision to admit that this situation had no future. This decision in itself is a sign that Atlanta United’s wishes and intention to be a great club in the region are very real.
In its 3.5 years of existence on the field, this club has found very little in the way of turmoil. Sure, there were minor incidents that wreaked havoc, but never something as big as facing massive scrutiny for being a national disgrace because of its grim play. The decision to change managers at this time coincides perfectly with the ambitions of the club.
This is the first step to reposition the Five Stripes on top where they are comfortable. Let us be clear that this situation is not entirely Frank de Boer’s. Other factors are at stake, but the admission that there is a problem and that they need to be fixed is a great sign. Who knows what the future holds, but there is very little chance of anyone guessing this decision. While there may be a strange skeptic who would have liked to see De Boer earlier, the vast majority are standing and applauding the bosses’ quick decision-making.
Frank de Boer believes Atlanta fans should lower expectations, saying they have been “spoiled” during their first two years of existence https://t.co/FoBs6gBXY2
– #MyPLSummer (@NBCSportsSoccer) March 11, 2019
It’s like Frank de Boer said in March 2019, when he was first hired, Atlanta United fans are spoiled. But with all due respect, Frank, we are not going to lower our expectations anytime soon.
