Atlanta United has hired yet another coach away from the Seattle Sounders. This time, it’s Sounders Academy Director Steve Cooke decamping to become the head coach of Atlanta United 2, the MLS Next Pro team.
Although this seems like a demotion on paper, as Cooke will be reporting to Atlanta United Academy Director Matt Lawrey, that could be a little deceiving. Cooke apparently has long seen himself more as a coach than an administrator and this moves him back onto the field. Cooke had only been the Sounders Academy Director for about a year and had originally been hired by the organization in 2021 to be the academy’s head coach.