Tata Martino is leaving MLS after two seasons at the helm of Atlanta United. The club confirmed the news on Tuesday, with the star Argentine manager looking at other, potentially Mexican opportunities. Martino played a leading role in establishing Atlanta’s status as the league’s most progressive team, setting all sorts of positive precedents and jolting the 2017 expansion team to the top.
His long-held international clout attracted young South American stars Atlanta would have struggled to draw without him. Atlanta pioneered the model of targeting younger, international talents with the intention of selling them on for profit, a model that could benefit Miguel Almiron and Josef Martinez this offseason with big-money moves to Europe.