With their team near the bottom of the standings and looking out of sorts, Atlanta United supporters could be forgiven for looking wistfully at Gerardo "Tata" Martino as their former head coach returned to the city this week.
But in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the charismatic Argentinean urged Five Stripes fans to chin up and stay positive, especially when it comes to troubled playmaker Pity Martinez.
Now in charge of the Mexican national team, Tata was making an ATL homecoming to promote El Tri's June 5 friendly at Mercedes-Benz Stadium vs. Venezuela, a pre-Gold Cup warmup that is expected to be a festive occasion for Mexico and ATLUTD aficionados alike.
Inevitably, Martino was asked about the Five Stripes' current struggles, which stand in striking contrast to the explosive attacking soccer and 2018 MLS Cup title they enjoyed under his leadership.
"First, have patience," Martino said when asked to give Atlanta fans advice on their present predicament. "They shouldn’t think that it’s that easy to win titles. They shouldn’t believe that you can win a title every year in MLS.
"Also because they kept the base of the team, they replaced the best player on their team [a reference to former star Miguel Almiron] with the best player in South America [Martinez]. They didn’t rest on their laurels. They doubled down on their bet."
Read the rest of Tata's interview with the AJC's Doug Roberson.
