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ATLANTA – Atlanta United has announced that Ronny Deila has been named the club’s new head coach. With over 17 years of experience as a head coach in multiple countries and six trophies to his name, Deila reportedly brings a wealth of expertise and a successful pedigree to the role. His contract runs through the 2027 MLS season and he will report directly to Atlanta United President and CEO Garth Lagerwey, according to the club.

A proven track record

Deila began his coaching career in 2008 with Norwegian club Strømsgodset, where he managed 206 games in six years. During his tenure, he led the team to win the Norwegian Cup in 2010 and the league title in 2013 – their first in 43 years.

He moved to Celtic in the Scottish Premier League in 2014, where he led the team to back-to-back league titles in 2015 and 2016, as well as the 2015 Scottish League Cup. In his two seasons at Celtic, Deila managed 118 games with an impressive 2.12 points per game.

Deila returned to Norway in 2016 as head coach of Vålerenga before moving to MLS in 2020 as head coach of New York City FC. At NYCFC, he led the team to the 2021 MLS Cup title, posting a 46-29-15 record during his two-and-a-half-year tenure.

After his MLS success, Deila managed Standard Liège in Belgium and reached sixth place. He later moved to Club Brugge, where he compiled a record of 28-10-11. He most recently coached Al-Wahda in the UAE Pro League.

“I would like to thank Arthur M. Blank and Garth Lagerwey for this opportunity and I am very excited to be joining Atlanta United,” said Deila. “This is a club with great owners, great facilities and the ambition to be successful and take the league further forward. I’m excited to return to MLS, a competitive league that I enjoy, and I can’t wait to get there and work with our group of players.

Before his coaching career, Deila had a 20-year playing career in Norway, during which he made 352 professional appearances and scored 32 goals as a defender. He spent most of his career at Odds BK, with stints at Viking and Strømsgodset, where he moved into the role of player-coach.