Each week, I try to predict Atlanta United’s starting 11 for the upcoming game.
It hasn’t been that difficult in each of the past three weeks. I haven’t gotten them all right, but I’ve done OK.
I’ve agonized over this week’s selections for Friday’s game at Seattle. I’ve posited the “false nine.” I’ve discussed with others the unconventional idea of bringing in Chris McCann as a forward because he is big enough to battle Seattle’s Chad Marshall and Roman Torres.
The issues are well-documented: Forward Josef Martinez is out 4-6 weeks with a strained quad suffered while he was playing for Venezuela last week. There isn't a like-for-like replacement on the roster.
Forward Kenwyne Jones and midfielders Miguel Almiron and Carlos Carmona have been out for more than a week with their national teams. They played their last games Tuesday night. Brandon Vazquez is similar to Jones. Jeff Larentowicz is similar to Carmona. There is no one similar to Almiron on the roster, which may be the only real hole on the team.
So, what will manager Gerardo Martino do on Friday?
I’ve thought and thought and this is what I think he will do: mostly nothing.
I think Jones, who played most of Trinidad and Tobago’s two games, will come in as the forward. I think Almiron, who played most of Paraguay’s two games, will start. I think Carmona, who didn’t play in either of Chile’s game, will start.
I think the strategy will be the same as it has been going back to the inaugural preseason game at Chattanooga: score early, get the lead, ask Jones and Almiron to go for as long as they can, and then sub them out.
Atlanta United has scored in the opening 15 minutes in all but one of its games going back through the preseason, so this isn’t a massive hope for it to happen again.
Martino has insisted numerous times that Atlanta United doesn’t worry a great deal about what the opponent may do. Instead, his team will focus on trying to perfect what it does.
