From left: Gerardo “Tata” Martino, Jorge Theiler, and Dario Sala all passed through Newell’s Old Boys



When Franco Escobar joined Atlanta United in December, the club knew it was getting an aggressive and dependable right back. But the fact that he was joining from Newell’s Old Boys, in Rosario, Argentina, was also significant.



Newell’s is where Atlanta United manager Gerardo “Tata” Martino came up as a youth player and went on to make nearly 500 appearances for the first team. It’s where he managed directly before taking the higher-profile job with FC Barcelona. A familiarity with the culture and philosophy of the historic, 115-year-old Argentine club is shared by several key members of Atlanta United. And far more than Barcelona, Newell’s may hold the keys for those who would look to Martino’s past for clues about how he likes his teams to play and what he hopes to achieve...