MLS Atlanta United split with De Boer after 0-3 tourney

New York (AFP) – Atlanta United parted ways with coach Frank De Boer on Friday, three days after the club finished a winless run in the Major League Soccer is Back Tournament.

The 50-year-old Dutchman, a defender with Ajax and Barcelona, left by mutual agreement, according to a club statement.

Atlanta United lost by identical 1-0 scores to Columbus on Tuesday, to Cincinnati last week and to New York Red Bulls on July 11 to fall in the group stage of the MLS tournament, played in a quarantine bubble without fans at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

United was the only club unable to score in three games and joined Inter Miami as the only teams to lose all three group-stage matches.

“After discussing it with Frank, the decision was reached mutually to part ways,” United president Darren Eales said. “He will always be a part of the club’s history and with great appreciation and respect we wish him all the best in the future.”

Atlanta, which also dropped two assistant coaches and a video analyst, plans to name an interim coach while it searches for a new full-time replacement.

De Boer, who led Ajax to four Dutch titles and was an assistant manager for the runner-up Dutch squad at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, was hired by Atlanta United in December 2018 to replace Gerardo Martino, who departed to coach the Mexican national team after guiding Atlanta to the 2018 MLS title.

In 2019, De Boer guided Atlanta to the US Open Cup title and a spot in the MLS Eastern Conference final.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had with Atlanta United,” De Boer said in a team statement. “Coaching in Major League Soccer and living in Atlanta has been a wonderful experience and a welcome new challenge.”