Atlanta United FC on Monday announced they have added seven new members to its technical staff to serve under head coach Gerardo Martino (pictured above) for the club's inaugural season in 2017.
The club introduced assistant coaches Jorge Theiler and Dario Sala; goalkeeper coach Aron Hyde; fitness coaches Rodolfo Paladini and Manuel Alfano; video analyst Damian Silvero, and head of sports science Ryan Alexander.
Theiler, a former Argentina international defender, comes to Atlanta from Argentine club Newell's Old Boys, where he has worked mostly with the youth teams since 2008. He was a teammate of Martino at Newell's and has worked under Martino in several different stops. He also has been a head coach of Libertad and Córdoba.
Sala also is from Argentina and played 16 seasons professionally as a goalkeeper, the last six for FC Dallas in MLS, ending in 2010. After his retirement as a player, Sala worked as a player agent before becoming the general manager of NASL expansion club Jacksonville Armada in 2015.
Hyde was the goalkeeper coach for the Chicago Fire from 2010-15 and spent the last two years working as a goalkeeper coach for the U.S. men's national team, working with both the senior team as well as the youth teams.
Silvero was the video analyst for the Argentina national team and before that worked at Newell's Old Boys. Paladini comes to Atlanta from the Venezuelan national team, but prior to that worked with Martino at Newell's. Alfano also worked with Martino both with Argentina and at club level.
Alexander comes to Atlanta from the US Soccer Federation, where he worked since 2013. Since 2015 he has been a sports scientist for the men's team, and prior to that, he was a physiologist with the women's team. He also has worked as a goalkeeper coach for Barry University in Tennessee, where he earned his master's. He has a doctorate from East Tennessee State.
“We are very proud of the staff we have put together,” Martino said in a statement provided by the team announcing the hirings. “It was important for me to have a combination of coaches who I’ve worked with and trust, as well as having coaches and technical staff who are familiar with the league. I’m very excited to work with this group.”
“I think we’ve put together an exceptional blend of international and domestic experience,” Atlanta United president Darren Eales said. “If you look around the world, some of the most successful clubs in football have a diverse staff and assembling that was always a goal of ours. We feel we’ve done that with members who have worked at the highest levels in their respective fields.”
