On 15 June 2026, football history will be made. The sport-crazy city of Atlanta – which has played host to two World Series and as many Super Bowl matches – will witness its first-ever FIFA World Cup fixture.
While the capital of the south is drenched in a love for all things sport, football is a relatively new addition to the city’s ever-growing list of professional disciplines.
Atlanta United was formed in 2014 and officially joined MLS’s Eastern Conference three years later. They took home the MLS Cup in 2018 and have developed a reputation for having one of the division’s largest and most raucous crowds, with Atlanta Stadium averaging north of 45,000 fans each week during the 2023 campaign.
Since August 2021, The Five Stripes have been under the tutelage of former Mexico international Gonzalo Pineda, who spent the final year of his career playing in MLS at Seattle Sounders, whose 69,000-seater Seattle Stadium will also host six games at FIFA World Cup 26.
The former midfielder speaks to FIFA about his World Cup memories as a fan and as a player, his time in the States, Atlanta’s passion for football, coaching World Cup winner Thiago Almada, and more.
Having been born in Mexico in 1982, do you have any memories of World Cup 1986?
Gonzalo Pineda: It was in Mexico City, so I remember my dad being very excited but I don’t remember the World Cup itself. I remember he used to tell us about how crazy the city was about the World Cup and how impactful it was to have Pele in 1970 and Maradona 1986. It was a very special occasion for my city.
What about when the World Cup next headed to North America with USA 1994?
Yes, I remember that World Cup very, very well! I remember there were a lot of players I used to admire around the world. [Hristo] Stoichkov was doing a great job with Bulgaria, [Gheorghe] Hagi with Romania and Brazil eventually won the tournament. They had a lot of fantastic players. I was crazy about Mexico during that World Cup. As you’ll remember, we didn’t participate in Italy 1990 and that was the first one I remember. So for 1994 it was amazing to see a great generation of footballers, with most of them coming from my club, Pumas, such as Jorge Campos, Luis Garcia Postigo and Claudio Suarez. I really enjoyed watching that tournament.
USA 1994 had a huge impact on the States’ footballing landscape. Can you still feel that today?
Of course, it put the US and their football on the map. I remember Tony Meola [USA goalkeeper and captain] was one of the main players for the US with his adidas jersey, which was very particular for that World Cup. I can tell that, after that World Cup, MLS became a league eager to improve and I can only Imagine what the next World Cup can do for us.
Just 12 years later you were playing in a World Cup yourself…
I couldn’t really enjoy that World Cup! When you’re in those types of tournaments, you’re just thinking of how you can improve your own performance, and maybe because it was my first World Cup, I just tried to focus on myself and my team. The atmosphere and the passion from Germany was amazing in all the cities, though. It was an amazing World Cup.
You were at that tournament with Rafael Marquez and Guillermo Ochoa. What were they like?
I would say after Hugo Sanchez who is, in my opinion, Mexico’s biggest legend, it’s Rafa Marquez. What he achieved with Barcelona, Monaco and in the World Cup with Mexico is amazing. I have huge respect for him as a player but also as a person, he was always willing to give you advice as a young player. It was a great experience to play alongside Rafa at that World Cup.
Memo [Ochoa] was very young at that World Cup so Oswaldo Sanchez was the No1. He was very quiet at that time but he’s a great professional, a hard worker who grinds everyday and he deserves all the good things that have happened throughout his career. When you’re in a World Cup and you need to stop some shots, you want Memo Ochoa in your goal.
You moved into management in 2021 with Atlanta United. What has the transition to the dugout been like?
I was blessed to be part of the coaching staff of, in my opinion, the best coach in MLS in Brian Schmetzer [at Seattle] for four-and-a-half years. I learned tons about his management, his style, and his personality. I’ve now been at Atlanta for two-and-a-half years and I’m super happy and excited about the opportunity to work at one of the elite clubs in the league. We’ve had some ups and downs, with a couple of difficult years, but we’ve learned a lot as a club. It is about more than just victories. Culture is very important to us and how we can set the foundation for years to come. Hopefully now with a little more stability, a couple of good signings and with some more time to prepare, 2024 can be the year we win a trophy.
You’re currently coaching Thiago Almada, who won the World Cup with Argentina at Qatar 2022. How good could he be?
It’s impressive the amount of talent Thiago has. He’s a guy that, as a coach, you can’t control at times, you have to put a system in place to give him freedom. Of course not full liberty, but you have to be smart and allow him some room for creativity. I would say he’s a very complete No10 and we’re trying to enjoy him as much as we can as we know there’s a lot of clubs in Europe interested in him. We’re trying to provide him with some other tools [in his game] that’ll make him successful when he goes to Europe.
In February, it was announced that Atlanta Stadium will host eight games at FIFA World Cup 26, with only Dallas Stadium hosting more. How excited is the city?
We deservedly got a lot of games for the World Cup. When you look at all the characteristics of Atlanta, it’s the perfect city for football. The passion that the fans bring to the stadium, the amount of people that love football, it’s a city with great infrastructure, great facilities and a fantastic stadium which may be one of the best in the world. I’m very excited, the fans are very excited and the club is super excited and just looking forward to the event. It’s the best event in the world and we want to live it together.
Atlanta United routinely welcomes crowds of more than 45,000. Why do you think the people of the city have taken so well to football?
When you grow up as a kid and you watch American movies, you wouldn’t see many that have soccer fields and kids playing football. Or if you watch kids in the streets and in the parks they’re playing basketball, American football and baseball. You grow up thinking the US is like that. Then when I first went to Seattle and then Atlanta, I was impressed with the amount of soccer fields there are around and the passion from the kids and the parents at the games. I have a teenager who plays so I can see how many people love football and how passionate the parents are about it on the sidelines, yelling and cheering for their kids, at times too much! (laughs) We all believe we’re Pep Guardiola, and we have the best advice for our players, but it’s just the passion the city and Americans in general have.
It’s understandable, America is a country that brings people from all over the world, we all collectively love football. I think the attendance numbers for our games in Atlanta is a reflection of how much the people in Atlanta love football.
The World Cup will also return to Mexico for the first time in 40 years. How excited does that make you?
I’m very happy that Mexico were included in the World Cup because it has proven to be a fantastic country for football. Perhaps the two best footballers in the world [Pele and Maradona] before Messi won the trophy in our land in Estadio Azteca. I hope that we can be a good host as always for the World Cup.
Don’t forget about Canada, though. They’ve been a big part of the success of MLS as well with Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal who are great clubs with great teams. It’s going to be a very good festival for all soccer fans.