The return of Atlanta United’s Ezequiel Barco from a three-game hiatus was welcome, according to manager Gerardo Martino.
After committing a yet-to-be-disclosed act of indiscipline, Barco was omitted from the game-day 18 for each of the previous three games. But he was back in the 18 and came off the bench to play 16 minutes in Sunday’s 3-1 win against Columbus.
"It's important to have him back,” Martino said. “Just like before when we had him and we had Tito (Villalba) on the bench, now to have both those guys back, it's just a benefit for our team to have guys who are able to come in off the bench and be able to enter a game and make an impact.”
Before his hiatus, Barco had started the previous 15 games. While he has just one goal and four assists this season, he was creating a lot of chances for teammates.
“I’m really happy to get back out there,” he said. “I think it was even more important for us to get the win as a team, but I’m happy to get back on the field.”
When the suspension was announced on July 21, Martino said he wanted to see how Barco would react. Barco was contrite during the MLS All-Star week, which were his first interviews after the punishment was made public.
He said on Sunday that he worked to impress the coaches.
“I just wanted to do everything that Tata and the coaches are always asking me to do,” Barco said. “I want to do everything that I’m asked to do on the field, and I think as I said before, it was just important for us to get the win today.”
Barco’s return will present Martino an interesting quandary because Hector Villalba has been in arguably the best form of his career in the past four games with a goal and four assists. Though Villalba is naturally right-footed, he has been playing a lot on the left, where Barco would play, the previous games.
When Barco came on for Julian Gressel against Columbus, Villalba moved from the left to the right, where he started most games last season. From the right, Villalba scored Atlanta United’s winning goal against the Crew.
Should Martino elect to play Villalba and Barco at the same time, it could mean fewer minutes for Gressel, who has two goals and nine assists this season.
Whatever the decision, Barco’s teammates were also glad to see him playing.
“Ezequiel always plays well,” Josef Martinez said. “I think, just as any athlete, you have good days and bad days. If he never had bad days then he’d be playing at Real Madrid, but I think it’s important for him to keep working and keep learning.”
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