‘Learned how to suffer’ - Miguel Almirón, Emmanuel Latte Lath back Atlanta United revival under Tata Martino

Latte Lath can’t quite pinpoint where it all went wrong last year. 

The striker, brought in for big money from Middlesbrough, was joined by club legend Almiron, who fell out of favor at Newcastle and was very much ready for a second stint in MLS. Atlanta had money to spend, and it appeared they did so wisely. 

And to oversee it all, they called on Deila, an accomplished coach who had won MLS Cup with NYCFC in 2021. Here was a good squad with star players, managed by a coach who had some winners’ medals on his shelf. It all added up rather nicely. 

Until it didn’t. 

“It was a tough season. Things just didn’t go well. It was just really, really tough,” Latte Lath said.

Atlanta started slowly. They won just two out of their first 11 games. By April, they were already playing catch-up. Latte Lath, who cost them a club-record $22 million, never found form in front of goal.

The Ivorian international had turned down reported Premier League interest to join from the EFL Championship - ironically, the inverse move that many of his MLS No.9s made - and could never get going. He managed just eight goals. 

“I learned how to suffer,” Latte Lath said. “And this, I will bring with me to the next season.” 

Almiron, too, had his struggles. He departed Atlanta as a club legend when he left for Newcastle in 2019. The Paraguayan spent six full seasons on Tyneside before Atlanta bought him for $10 million. He was greeted by droves of fans at Hartsfield-Jackson airport after making the return. 

Under Eddie Howe, Newcastle were playing a more robust and athletic brand of soccer. Almiron, a wizard with the ball at his feet, renowned for his technical ability, was no longer the right fit for the Magpies. 

Yet the excitement from the fanbase wasn’t accompanied by production on the pitch. Almiron has never been a truly quantifiable player, more orchestrator in the final third than a killer in the box, but his return of six goals in 33 appearances was indicative of a difficult season. 

“These things can happen in football. All we can do is try to learn from our mistakes,” Almiron said.

And in order to amend it all, Atlanta have taken a look into the past. Almiron was a throwback signing that hasn’t paid immediate dividends. Martino, though, may yet prove to be a more effective blast from the past. His exit from Atlanta to the Mexican national team in 2019 proved to be an ineffective departure, with El Tri failing to make it out of the group at the 2022 World Cup. And although he won the Supporters' Shield with Lionel Messi at Inter Miami in 2024, there was a prevailing feeling the Herons could and should have done more. 

Martino, though, insists he would change nothing.  

“At that moment, it was the decision we had to make," he said of his decision to leave in 2019. "And yeah, today I'm saying, if things would have gone as they have, I still would have made the same decision,” he said. 

But the return feels equally welcome. Nearly eight years have passed since he last coached a game for Atlanta. Since managing Mexico and Inter Miami, he took a year-long leave of absence from the sport. Being back at Atlanta, which is a passionate soccer city and a place that feels like home is important. 

“It will be very exciting to reunite with the fans and our wonderful fan base, and from all the memories that we had," he said. "But that's only one moment.” 

Almiron couldn’t be happier to have him back. 

“We appreciate him a lot, and I think his arrival is going to be very important for Atlanta,” he said.

The task at hand is a difficult one, but Latte Lath and Almiron both claim that last year was a series of amendable errors, or fixable small details. They both see a pathway to success this season. 

“We have a good group of players, a group of talented players, so we just have to work on fixing some small details to try to reach our objectives this season,” Almiron said. 

Martino, too, sees a side that has all of the qualities necessary to compete. In his view, in fact, this team is far better than the league table at the end of the season suggested. 

“Our final evaluation was that the team has better players than the standings at the end of last year would indicate," Martino said. "And in our idea, the way we want to do it is to build a better team." 

It has, comparatively, been a far quieter offseason - even if Martino has returned. But that might just be what Atlanta need. 

Since Martino left for the first time, Atlanta have been defined by change. They are smart operators in the transfer market, selling high and buying well. This is, of course, what many MLS clubs must do to keep their squads performing. It just so happens that Atlanta tend to be very good at it, too. But a little bit of continuity at Mercedes-Benz Stadium will do them some good. The result is a palpable energy around the team, Latte Lath said. Martino may be from Argentina and defined by his many coaching stops around the world. But he is a legend of this place. Winning tends to do these things, and Latte Lath, in his initial conversations alone, could sense a buzz. 

“We are so excited,” he said. “When you change a coach, and move into a new season, so many positive things happen.” 

Of course, this all has to be baked up with performance. Almiron has plenty to prove. Latte Lath will have to start finding goals regularly. The defense, which allowed 63 goals last year, will surely have to improve. But with the new manager back and plenty of good vibes abound, there should hopefully be some real improvements around the club.

“We just need to find our identity. And then the positive things will come,” Latte Lath said.