Doug Roberson rates Atlanta United's players after Saturday's 3-1 loss against Columbus at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan, 6: Maybe he could have done better on Columbus' second goal, but that's a big maybe because it was a fantastic shot. ... Finished with three saves. ... Pinpoint pass to Emerson Hyndman to start the sequence that resulted in the opening goal. ... Punched away a corner kick near the 29th minute. ... Tipped a pass over the bar in the 31st minute ... Came out to snag a cross in the 35th minute. ...
Right centerback Franco Escobar, 6: A night that included a shot going backward and a couple of good tackles, but that was about it. ... None of the goals that were scored came down on his side. ... He led the team in tackles and was patient with his passes.
Centerback Miles Robinson, 6.5: Sliding block to deny Gyasi Zardes in the 12th minute. ... A few more crucial blocks as Atlanta United kept getting caught with too many players upfield. ... Scored an own-goal when the ball took an unfortunate bounce.
Left centerback Flo Pogba, 3.5: Some good passing in the first half. ... Questionable decision to try to come over and help Robinson defend Zardes on Columbus' first goal. The decision left a lot of space on the left of Atlanta United's formation that Luis Diaz took advantage of. ... Got caught too far upfield on Columbus' second goal. ... Frank de Boer said he doesn't blame Pogba because the team kept getting caught between setting up its defense and setting up its offense. ....
Defensive midfielder Eric Remedi, 5.5: Did a decent job limiting the influence of Pedro Santos, who finished with two chances created, but didn't get involved in the offense.
Defensive midfielder Darlington Nagbe, 5: His quietest night in a while, punctuated by scuffing a shot from seven yards that could have tied the game at 2.
Right wingback Julian Gressel, 5.5: Had four shots, one on target, and created just one chance. ... Completed 80 percent of his 38 attempted passes.
Left wingback Justin Meram, 5: Not his best night against his former team with very little created down his side.
Attacking midfielder Emerson Hyndman, 6: Earned his third assist this season on the opening goal. ... Created a team-high four chances.
Striker Pity Martinez, 4.5: Started with a pass out of bounds in the first seconds and didn't get a whole lot better because he completed just 73 percent of his 33 attempted passes. ... Earned his eighth assist on the opening goal. ... Could have had another from the other side of the field a minute later. ... Shot just missed the lower left corner in the 34th minute. ... So many turnovers in the second half, though, including four consecutive at one point. More is needed if he's going to be a play-maker.
Striker Josef Martinez, 6: Opened the scoring with his 24th goal, which was also the 14th consecutive league game in which he has scored. ... That was about it for highlights because he barely touched the ball (24 touches)
SUBS
Hector Villalba (on for Remedi, 70), 5: Put on the wing for his speed, he hit a good cross, but that was it for the highlights.
Dion Pereira (on for Meram, 70), 5: Didn't create a chance in his 20 minutes.
Brandon Vazquez (on for P. Martinez, 79), 5: One shot in 10 minutes.
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