Atlanta United is getting needed reinforcements, one mostly offense, one mostly defense, and one in between, for the team’s push for the Supporters’ Shield that starts with Sunday’s game against Seattle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
After dealing with a series of injuries, Hector Villalba is starting to show signs of being the player who rarely came off the field last season. He has one goal and two assists in his past three games, all starts. He spun a Dallas defender into the ground before assisting on a Josef Martinez goal.
“They are probably still chasing him right now,” defender Chris McCann said.
Villalba then sprinted into position to get a touch on a pass from Miguel Almiron for a goal against Philadelphia as he starts to show the speed and instincts that helped him score 13 goals and assists 11 times last season.
“What’s the most important thing is for the team to win,” Villalba said. “Whether it’s me or the other guys scoring goals it doesn’t matter. If I’m the one, that’s OK with me.”
With the switch in formations from the 3-5-2 to the 4-3-3 following the injury to midfielder Darlington Nagbe, Villalba moved back into the starting lineup against Orlando on June 30. After making 34 starts last season, he has nine starts in 20 games this season.
“It’s been a tough year for me with the injuries,” he said. “No one want to be injured. If it was my choice I would play every game, just like I did last season. Now, it’s like just getting started again. Just getting back to playing with the team and doing everything I can to help, proving goals and assists.”
McCann can relate.
He started seven of the first eight games until suffering a hamstring injury during warmups. He missed the next four games. He came back to start the next two, but said on Tuesday that he wasn’t right.
Realizing that he was neither helping himself nor the team, he alerted manager Gerardo Martino just before halftime of t he game against Philadelphia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on June 2 that he needed to be subbed off.
“I didn’t want to go whole season with a niggling injury,” he said. “Best to cut my losses, say it’s not right, take a couple of weeks off and let it get right.”
After sitting out the next five games, the versatile player – he can be used as a centerback, fullback or midfielder -- returned and played the final 17 minutes in last week’s 2-0 win at Philadelphia.
Villalba and McCann, as well as new signing Eric Remedi, a midfielder who is supposed to arrive in Atlanta on Friday, give Martino more choices for 18 and 11, which means more competition in training, which should make for a better team.
“Fantastic that we are coming back to full fitness and have a full team to select from,” McCann said.
About the Author
