Herc Gomez discusses Frank de Boer’s departure at Atlanta United and their failings since Tata Martino’s departure. (2:23)
Atlanta United has appointed Stephen Glass to replace Frank De Boer as interim manager, the club announced on Monday.
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Atlanta sacked De Boer on Friday following a disappointing finish to its MLS is Back Tournament and has called up Atlanta United 2 head coach Glass to take his place effective immediately.
“Stephen not only has professional experience as a player at the highest levels of the sport, he is a proven leader and is well respected as a coach by his players and staff,” club president Darren Eales said in a statement on Monday. “We have great confidence that Stephen will re-energize the team and move the club in the right direction during this transition period.”
A native of Scotland, Glass — who played professionally at Aberdeen and Newcastle among others — joined Atlanta in 2018 as a coach with the under-17 team. He was promoted to manager of ATL UTD 2 in January of 2019.
“I am honored to take over as interim head coach for the Atlanta United first team,” Glass said in a statement. “I am committed to continuing the hard work the team has done to establish itself as a top club in MLS, and to meeting the high standard expected of us both on and off the field. I look forward to quickly establishing a structure and rapport with the players as we prepare to return to play in our home market.”
De Boer was the franchise’s second coach, replacing Gerardo “Tata” Martino after the Argentine won the 2018 MLS Cup and subsquently took the Mexico national team gig.
Under De Boer, the team overcame an initial rocky start to win the 2019 U.S. Open Cup and the 2019 Campeones Cup.
De Boer and Atlanta won their first two matches of the 2020 regular season prior to its postponement due to the coronavirus pandemic. But the opener was marred when 2018 MLS MVP Josef Martinez, one of the league’s most dynamic scorers, went down with a knee injury that will likely keep him out for the rest of 2020.
When play resumed at the MLS is Back Tournament in Orlando, Atlanta lost all three of its group games by 1-0 scores. With De Boer facing heavy criticism for his team’s lack of creativity, and calls for a radical change in style, the team decided to make a change.
It was another short coaching stint for the former Netherlands national team star, who previously was let go by Internazionale in Italy’s Serie A in 2016 and Crystal Palace in England’s Premier League in 2017.
De Boer’s most successful spell as a coach was while in charge of Ajax Amsterdam, where he won four Eredivisie league titles from 2010-16. His playing career also included lengthy stints at Ajax and Barcelona.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
