Atlanta United’s coaching search is over as the club announced Ronny Deila’s hiring Friday.
The 49-year-old Norwegian won two league titles and a Scottish League Cup with Celtic of the Scottish Premier League. He also won the 2021 MLS Cup with New York City FC. He joins Atlanta after a brief stint with UAE Pro League side Al Wahda FC.
Over the past several weeks, Atlanta CEO Garth Lagerwey has hinted that the ideal coach would be a proven winner. Deila succeeds interim manager Rob Valentino who led Atlanta to a late-season postseason run. Atlanta eliminated Inter Miami in a three-game series before a loss to Orlando City in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
“I’m approaching now my 18th season in MLS. I have never gotten to hire a coach before,” Lagerwey said at Deila’s introductory news conference Friday. “I’ve inherited every single other person that I’ve worked with. And so I couldn’t be prouder today to say that Ronny is the first coach that I’ve picked, and I look forward to years of working together with Ronny and taking this club to the next level.”
A winner. A champion. Back in MLS.
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— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) December 20, 2024
Deila has been vocal over the years about his preference for attacking football. His NYCFC team’s goal output of 56 goals in 2021 wasn’t impressive. Yet, that team’s identity was more resilient than attractive, although Deila wasn’t known to restrict his creative players. Deila is credited with further developing former NYCFC striker Taty Castellanos, as well as several young academy players.
In Atlanta, he’ll have a similar roster profile as he had in New York, namely United’s dependence on foreign signings.
The challenge for Deila will be to manage expectations and turn a team of underachievers into league leaders. Atlanta showed a steely mentality towards the end of 2024, but generally speaking, the club was known for its lack of mental toughness. The vocal Deila will have a big role in shaping the club’s identity moving forward.
“The (players) have to feel safe. They have to know what’s expected in the role in the culture,” Deila said about his coaching style Friday. “And two, they have to feel loved. They have to feel a part of something. And that’s my job, to see people, to get them to feel important and to be part of something. And the third one is to have fun.
“These three things are basic for development. When you know what’s expected, you come every day and you feel a part of something and you have fun. Then you use every day to get better. I have to prove myself again when I come to Atlanta that I can create that kind of environment.”
Deila returns to MLS after leaving NYCFC midway through the 2022 season after being named manager of Belgian club Standard Liège and coaching the side to a sixth-place finish in the Belgian Pro League and a 17-14-9 record that season. From there, Deila joined Club Brugge, leading the club to the UEFA Conference League quarterfinals.
Atlanta United opens their 2025 MLS regular season on Feb. 22 against CF Montréal.
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(Photo: Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
