“I love that part,” he says. “I don’t want to take that away from the players, especially our attacking players. I love that they want to attack and they want to create chances.”
Pineda’s players-first approach drives his coaching philosophy. Not only does he want to compete, he wants his players to become the best versions of themselves – to play with passion and a love of the jersey. That’s why he says he seeks consistency during the second half of the season and why he describes his role as one meant to set the players up for success. It’s why he credits Rob Valentino with the work he’s done serving as interim head coach during the transition. Valentino, he’s observed, has a strong connection with the players. Pineda sees how the many different parts, the many facets of a club, have the capability to come together and drive the team’s success.
“For me, we should be a family,” Pineda says. “We should all be part of the success we’re going to get. So everybody – the staff, everybody – we are all the same. We are all here to help the players perform at their best.”
He names four key character traits that he wants his soccer family to represent: trust, confidence, willingness and being approachable to everyone.
“It’s a great organization, great people, working here silently sometimes – in the shadows sometimes, in the offices – but they are great people looking to improve the team and to connect with the society, with the fans, with the community and also to improve the team.”
It makes sense that Pineda, referred to as a player’s advocate, looks to unify Atlanta and shape a culture that’s family-focused. He has two children, Santiago and María José, with his wife, Reyna. They, along with his parents who live in Mexico, appeared on video expressing love and support for Pineda with his new opportunity. Pineda is described by many around soccer as a family man. His wholesome values are in large part what made him attractive to team president Darren Eales and vice president Carlos Bocanegra. As Eales said in Pineda’s introductory press conference, the top factor for the front office during this head coaching search was the quality of the individual and the values he holds as a leader.
“My standard is not just winning or losing,” Pineda says. “It’s also competing at a high level in a way that is in line with our standards as human beings, as persons, as professionals. So I don’t want to just win in any way, I want to win in the Atlanta United way.”