Though he’s been Atlanta United FC’s manager since September, Gerardo “Tata” Martino remains a bit of a mystery. Fans may know he’s had a two-decade career coaching top sides like the Argentina national team, Paraguay national team and Barcelona. But many are waiting to learn more about his personality, managerial style and how he communicates with players.
MLSSoccer.com spoke with veterans Michael Parkhurst and Chris McCann, as well as the younger Brandon Vasquez, to get their initial impressions on their new coach.
What emerged from the conversations was a picture of Martino as someone who’s funnier than you might expect outside of training, yet all business once the sessions begin.
“He’s a really down to earth, approachable guy, and I don’t think anyone on the team is afraid to speak with him,” said Parkhurst. “He’s such a positive guy, a calm guy, but he’s made it clear he wants us to be intense on the field.”
“He’s quite an intense guy,” said McCann. “He’s very thorough and in-depth with what he wants to do.”
Vazquez, a forward who was recently called up to the Under-20 US national team camp, has seen Martino’s lighter side.
“When I first met off the field, he was really funny, cracking jokes,” said Vazquez, who’s able to speak with Martino in his native Spanish. “On the field, he’s more serious about his work and his seriousness is passed on to everyone at training.”
Though Martino is still learning English, all the Atlanta players have found it easy to understand the vision he’s implementing at the team.
“Everyone seems to understand what’s going on, everybody seems to have no problems, there’s real clarity out there about what we’re doing,” said McCann. “We can talk to him, we can talk to the other coaching staff there with him, and we can ask a question and he’s very open.”
A few things stood out to Parkhurst and McCann compared to some of the other managers they’ve played under over the years. Parkhurst noted how much Martino trusts his assistants.
“He’s not always out there leading the charge,” said Parkhurst. “He’s got a staff that he trusts and at points, he sits back and watches as the rest of the staff controls the training.”
What surprised McCann was how early in preseason Martino has begun introducing his playing philosophy to the players.
“Normally they allow you to bed in and get like a week or two under your belt training before any tactical stuff comes into play,” said McCann. “He’s trying to implement his ideas as early as possible so we know our job inside and out straight away.”
Everyone said they were excited about playing for Martino, who’s coached the top players in the world and brings a solid reputation as someone who can develop young talent.
“It’s an opportunity I didn’t want to let pass, this new team with an amazing coach,” said Vazquez.
