ATLANTA (AP) — Carlos Bocanegra, who helped build Atlanta United into an MLS champion in just its second season but couldn't get the club back to that level, was fired Wednesday as technical director.
Bocanegra was dismissed with seven games left in another disappointing season. United is mired in ninth place in the Eastern Conference with just eight wins in 27 matches.
President and CEO Garth Lagerwey will assume Bocanegra’s duties on an interim basis for the remainder of the season.
Atlanta was already playing under an interim coach, Rob Valentino, after Gonzalo Pineda was let go in early June.
Now, the club is set for a total overhaul heading into 2025.
“While we will continue to fight for a playoff spot down the final stretch of the season, this gives us a clean slate and a runway to properly assess all vacancies in our sporting operation ahead of what will be an extremely important offseason for our club," Lagerwey said in a statement.
Bocanegra originally joined United as technical director in 2015, two years before the expansion club entered the league, and added the title of vice president as he assembled a high-scoring roster that reached the playoffs in Atlanta's debut year and won the MLS Cup in 2018.
Among those he signed were Josef Martinez, who won the league's MVP award, and midfielder Miguel Almiron, one of the league's most dynamic players before he transferred to Premier League club Newcastle.
In addition to its success on the field, Atlanta set numerous attendance records at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“We are deeply appreciative of Carlos’s dedication and success over the last nine years with Atlanta United," Lagerwey said. “However, I believe it’s time for our club to move in a new direction.”
While the club continues to draw the largest crowds in MLS, the level of excitement has dipped considerably, accompanied by a growing number of empty seats at home games.
After reaching the MLS Eastern Conference final in 2019, in addition to winning the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup, United has gone out in the opening round of two playoff appearances and missed the postseason altogether the other two years. It hasn't finished higher than fifth in the East.
Along the way, the team has fired three coaches: Frank de Boer, Gabriel Heinze after just 13 games, and Pineda this season.
The 45-year-old Bocanegra was captain of the U.S. team at the 2010 World Cup and a longtime stalwart of the national squad, making 110 appearances. He played in MLS and several European circuits, including England's Premier League and the French league.
Bocanegra joined United as technical director shortly after his playing career ended.
“He was here from the beginning and deserves much credit for our MLS championship, other trophies we’ve won over the last nine years, and the way our team captured the heart of this city even before we launched in 2017,” United owner Arthur Blank said. “I will always have great affection for Carlos and his beautiful family, and deep gratitude for the passion and dedication he brought to our club over the years.”
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