Atlanta United hires Ronny Deila as coach: How he can shape the club’s identity

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.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Ronny as the new head coach of Atlanta United,” Lagerwey said in a statement. “He has a proven track record of winning in multiple leagues around the world, including the 2021 MLS Cup with NYCFC, and his knowledge of MLS was a key factor in our search. We believe his style of play aligns with the club’s philosophy as we look to build a team that will compete for trophies consistently.”

A winner. A champion. Back in MLS.

🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/zs1aByxkIz

— 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.

“This is a club with great ownership, excellent facilities and the ambition to succeed and continue to drive the league forward,” Deila told Atlanta’s internal media team. “I’m happy to return to MLS, a competitive league that I enjoy, and I’m eager to arrive and get to work with our group of players.”

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.

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.