Ronny Deila is back in MLS but is now an Eastern Conference rival of New York City FC, as the Norwegian is the new Head Coach of Atlanta United FC.
As NYCFC radio announcer Glenn Crooks first reported, Deila was a candidate of "strong interest" to the two soccer executives in charge of Atlanta United, President and CEO Garth Lagerwey and just-hired Sporting Director Chris Henderson.
Deila was in charge of Al Wahda FC in the United Arab Emirates as of this week, but the club announced Ronny was fired on December 18, the same morning Crooks first reported his potential move to Atlanta. Fast forward a few days later and contract terms were agreed, with Atlanta hinting about "running it back" to MLS Cup on social media – something Deila won in New York City in 2021 – shortly before unveiling their new manager.
A new era – get on board. #ATLUTD hires Ronny Deila as Head Coach 🔴⚫️ pic.twitter.com/OMjIisUByk
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) December 20, 2024
This brings Deila back to the United States after a somewhat tumultuous post-New York City FC period, first in Belgium and then in the UAE. He abruptly left NYCFC at midseason in 2022 just months after winning MLS Cup in order to take charge of Standard Liège in the Belgian Pro League. Deila oversaw 40 matches for the club (17W-9D-14L, 1.50 PPG) during the 2022-2023 season, but left Liège after just that one season, jumping somewhat controversially to rival Belgian side Club Brugge KV for their 2023-2024 season.
Deila didn't even last a full season for Club Brugge despite getting the club to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Conference League and picking up 1.94 PPG across his 49 matches in charge in all competitions.
Deila still ended up fired in March 2024 after less than one full season in charge due to what Club Brugge called "disappointing results and level of play" in their statement announcing his dismissal. Deila had fumed publicly shortly before his firing about leaks to the press from within Brugge, and was curtly dumped before their season was over, and before he could even continue his club's run in the Conference League.
With Deila's time in Belgium ended, that set him up for a brief 10-match interlude in charge of Al Wahda FC of the UAE Pro League. He took over the Abu Dhabi-based team in July but was out of that job by December, seemingly once MLS and the soccer execs in Atlanta came calling.
Garth Lagerwey just hired Chris Henderson away from Inter Miami CF to become Atlanta's Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director, and the two targeted Deila, though neither previously worked with the Norwegian manager.
As it relates to a team and executives that have worked with Deila, a second installment of "Ronny Deila, NYCFC manager" never looked likely. He was never rumored as a candidate to come back to NYCFC, but he always made sense as a candidate to come back to MLS.
He's only the second former NYCFC manager to return to MLS to take a Head Coach job elsewhere – Jason Kreis did the 2015 MLS expansion club swap and took over Orlando City SC in July 2016 just eight months after NYCFC relieved him of his duties after missing the playoffs in 2015.
Interestingly, the coach who replaced Kreis in New York City, Patrick Vieira, was also rumored to be a candidate for the Atlanta United Head Coach role, one of four who interviewed for the job according to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Vieira came up as a possible Atlanta hire around the time he was also mentioned as a possible coach of the United States men's national team, but the USMNT hired Mauricio Pochettino, and Vieira went on to take a job with Genoa in Italy's Serie A.
Atlanta got their ex-NYCFC manager in the end, and they got a generally successful one in Ronny Deila. Winning an MLS Cup and six total trophies across a managerial career that also included time in charge of Celtic FC in Scotland makes Deila feel like the right candidate for a rebuilding but win-hungry Atlanta team that has the most available general allocation money (GAM) in MLS – which they just used, in part, to acquire Mateusz Klich from DC United – as well as open Designated Player slots to play with.
As for NYCFC, their coaching search goes on. They remain one of four MLS teams yet to name a new Head Coach, along with Vancouver Whitecaps FC, Toronto FC, and Philadelphia Union (who are now rumored to be targeting ex-St. Louis City SC coach Bradley Carnell).
Andrew Leigh
The only name linked with the NYCFC job to date has been Jim Curtin, former Philadelphia Union coach and noted Nike connoisseur, but that link was tenuous at best.
Des Buckingham, one of five names included in our recent attempt to guess the identity of the next New York City coach, is now on the market and a free agent after being fired by his hometown club, Oxford United FC in England's Championship.
It's unclear if he is a true candidate for NYCFC, but he spent years coaching inside City Football Group, visited NYCFC for a week in 2023, and has spoken openly of his interest in coaching in MLS – so Buckingham remains one to watch.
It won't be Ronny Deila, but he'll be back to face New York City FC as an opponent at least once during the 2025 season, at Yankee Soccer Stadium on Thursday, June 12, one of our Top 5 NYCFC Games to look forward to in the year ahead.
There's some irony in seeing Deila take over Atlanta United, a team that played a central role in the 2021 NYCFC squad getting hot and making a run to win MLS Cup. That year's Atlanta team conceded Gudi Thorarinsson's season-altering free-kick goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium during the regular season, then became NYCFC's first victim in the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs, losing 2-0 at Yankee Soccer Stadium in Round One of the postseason.
Much has changed in Atlanta and New York City and on the resumè of Ronny Deila since that 2021 MLS Cup run, but Atlanta brings him back to MLS hoping he can recapture some of the trophy-winning, clothing-stripping magic he tapped into with NYCFC.
Oliver Strand
