Departing Atlanta boss Martino wins MLS Coach of the Year
Gerardo "Tata" Martino will be leaving his post at Atlanta United with some hardware.
The Argentine manager, who announced in October he'd be moving on from Atlanta at the end of the season, was named Major League Soccer's 2018 Coach of the Year.
Congrats to Tata Martino of @ATLUTD, the 2018 MLS Coach of the Year! 👏 pic.twitter.com/zfM0oBgzt2
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 13, 2018
Martino edged out Los Angeles FC's Bob Bradley and Sporting Kansas City's Peter Vermes for the nod, though the former received a higher percentage of votes from the media.
Final three COTY voting:
| Coach | Player vote | Club vote | Media vote | Avg. vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerardo Martino | 46.92% | 29.91% | 21.32% | 32.72% |
| Bob Bradley | 20.53% | 14.95% | 31.53% | 22.34% |
| Peter Vermes | 6.16% | 15.89% | 10.81% | 10.95% |
The 55-year-old former Barcelona and Argentina boss is in his second campaign in charge at Atlanta. This season, the club finished with a regular-season record of 21-7-6 with 69 points, good for second place in the Eastern Conference and a second straight trip to the playoffs.
The Five Stripes will bid for an MLS Cup final appearance against the New York Red Bulls in the conference finals in two weeks time.
Although Martino will depart the 🅰️ at season’s end, he still has a chance to lift #MLSCup with the Five Stripes.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) November 13, 2018
Atlanta supporters honored Tata on Sunday with his own tifo. pic.twitter.com/BFdx1Bx8lS
Martino is the only manager in the club's history after taking over the expansion side in 2017.