Atlanta United's head coach Gerardo Martino named coach of the year
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA - Atlanta United head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino has been named the 2018 MLS Coach of the Year, Major League Soccer announced on Tuesday.
Martino, a two-time finalist for the award, finally picked up his prize after Atlanta's record-breaking 2018 season.
The coach received 32.7 percent of the average vote, getting over twice the percentage of player votes than the second-place finalist.
This year, Atlanta became the second team in league history to score more than 70 goals in back-to-back seasons.
Atlanta United also won its first playoff series in franchise history, knocking off New York City FC 3-1 in the second leg of the Eastern Conference semifinals Sunday.
Outside of Martino, Atlanta United players were also two of the top finalists for the 2018 Landon Donovan Most Valuable Player award: 24-year-old Miguel Almirón and 25-year-old Josef Martínez.
This sadly is Martino's last season with Atlanta United. Earlier this year Martino made the decision to move on after the 2018 season and not extend his contract for "personal reasons."