How can Charlotte win an MLS Cup? Tata Martino knows who to hire and players to sign
Gerardo “Tata” Martino knows how to build a winning soccer club. More importantly, he knows how to build a winning soccer club from nothing. Martino served as the first head coach of Atlanta United FC in 2017, and in just two years helped deliver a Major League Soccer championship to the city.
In its debut season, Atlanta United reached the MLS playoffs. By its second season, the team won its first MLS Cup, making it a successful model for Charlotte’s expansion team.
Martino was named the MLS Coach of the Year in 2018 prior to joining the Mexican National Team as the manager. In addition to Atlanta United, he formerly coached the Argentina Men’s National Team and FC Barcelona.
The veteran soccer manager spoke with the Observer about what it takes to win with a new club, how he convinced international players to join MLS and who he would like to see in Charlotte.
This interview was conducted in Spanish and has been translated to English edited for brevity and clarity.
Alex Andrejev: Rodolfo Pizarro recently announced his move to Inter Miami CF from Liga MX. What is it about MLS that makes it a good alternative for someone in that league?
Tata Martino: Having been a coach in MLS, (I know) it’s a good league. It’s a strong league and it’s bringing in very good players. And I’m sure Rodolfo will be one of those players and will do well for Miami.
AA: Pizarro also said he thinks more Mexican players will come to MLS. Do you agree with that?
TM: You really can’t make comparisons between the two leagues. The MLS is a very good league. Liga MX is a very good league. Most players choose where they play based on a number of factors, which includes factors off the field. It’s a very personal decision and I only give advice when I’m asked.
AA: What were the key factors that fell into place that allowed Atlanta to be successful so quickly?
TM: The first thing was the vision and objectives of (team) management. (They had) a very good vision of what they wanted to and that vision was in line with the things I wanted to do. Also, of course, the opportunity to get very good players, which they continue to have.
AA: How do you convince players to buy into a new club?
TM: Management brought in the American players, obviously, but I took advantage of the fact that I worked with the Argentina National Team and Barcelona. Firstly, we decided internally what players we wanted and then I’d just call them up. Some calls worked out and obviously many didn’t.
AA: When you called guys up, what did you say? How did you sell a new team?
TM: When it came to the top players, I talked about the opportunity to do something different and said it would probably give players the opportunity to go to Europe and play at a big club. Obviously, back then, this was a commitment that we didn’t know we could deliver, but as time passed, Miguel Almiron went to Newcastle (United). Now we can say that promise was kept. It’s clear that it wasn’t going to happen with all of them, but (Almiron) is one soccer player that did well in MLS that went to a top club in Europe.
AA: Do you need a star player for a new club to succeed?
TM: The agreement I had with the team was that we would bring in younger players with good form who would have an opportunity to see an MLS championship, which would allow them to jump to a club in Europe. (My job was) not necessarily to get European players to come here. In that sense, Atlanta ended up getting all soccer players that were between 19 and 24 years old.
AA: How much did you rely on Atlanta’s academy teams when you were initially scouting and recruiting?
TM: With the older guys, we had to look at all the players that were available because I wasn’t just getting one or two players. It was getting an entire team. In the case of American players, we were looking for guys who would adapt to a certain style, not necessarily their age. As far as youth players, there was an academy that started about six months to a year before the pro team started. There was a secondary priority by the institution to start using those players. Recruiting from the academy teams is a situation that takes much more time. The academy needs to start functioning so that over time Atlanta can actually get their own players.
AA: George Bello was one of those Academy players, right?
TM: There was (Andrew) Carleton and Bello from the Academy. Brandon Vazquez wasn’t from the Academy but he was a very young player. Miles Robinson was on the National Team. He was from the first expansion draft.
AA: How did you balance trying to recruit players from overseas versus picking up free agents from MLS in the expansion draft?
TM: The league has very clear rules about how many players U.S. players, foreigners, young DPs and DPs a team can have. It was clear we had very good U.S. Men’s National Team players like Michael Parkhurst, Brad Guzan, Jeff Larentowicz and Darlington Nagbe. But we had an opportunity to form a very good team as a combination between the domestic players and international ones.
AA: What advice do you have for a new coach stepping into this role at Charlotte?
TM: The first thing is the new coach needs an opening to meet with local management and build a team that everybody can agree on. I say this because usually coaches come in and they build their own team, but MLS has so many rules, and you have to understand why you want a certain player, for example, and why you can’t bring him. That’s the other important part. There needs to be a certain amount of confidence between everybody that’s working together to build a team. At the same time, you cannot put aside your convictions. If you put aside your convictions, it’s very hard to be a coach and instill your philosophy.
AA: Final question: Imagine you’re team owner David Tepper and you have to decide who to bring in as a coach and players. Who do you get?
TM: As a coach, there are two I like a lot: The coach of the U.S. Men’s National team, Gregg Berhalter, and the coach of Sporting Kansas City, Peter Vermes. As far as players, there are a lot. I’m gonna pick domestic players: D.C. United’s Julian Gressel, New York Red Bull’s Aaron Long and Atlanta United’s Brad Guzan.
You can watch the Mexican Men’s National Team play Czech Republic at Bank of America Stadium on March 26th as part of the team’s annual U.S. tour. Tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.
This story was originally published February 19, 2020 at 5:08 PM with the headline "How can Charlotte win an MLS Cup? Tata Martino knows who to hire and players to sign."