Atlanta United’s fullbacks will attack when the team hosts Colorado on Saturday at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium.
Gerardo Martino touches his chest in a small display of passion when he explains why presumed starters Greg Garza and Tyrone Mears will be up the field, sometimes higher than the midfielders, when Atlanta United (6-7-3) has the ball.
“That would be like being a traitor to myself,” he said.
Martino was asked if he was going to have to place a higher value on the fullbacks as defenders, compared with being attackers, because of the difficulty the team had in stopping crosses in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to D.C. United, coupled with Colorado’s (5-9-1) ability as one of the better teams in MLS at converting crosses into goals (5 this season). His team also has had trouble dealing with long passes in recent losses to Vancouver and Chicago.
“If our fullbacks are attacking a lot, that means their team is defending a lot,” Martino said. “That’s the most important thing.”
Crosses — long passes that come in from the sides — can be dangerous because of the number of outcomes, with the majority favoring the offense.
The defense can either stop the cross by blocking it as it is kicked, typically by a wide midfielder or fullback. Should the cross make it into the penalty box, it’s incumbent upon the defenders to mark a man. D.C. United sometimes had a player left unmarked, which helped them convert more than 40 percent of their crosses, almost twice the league average.
So, the cross comes in, and everyone is marked. Among the best-case results for the defense: the ball is either cleared down the field, which can start an Atlanta United counter-attack, or it’s knocked out of bounds for a goal kick, which gives Atlanta United possession.
Among the best-case results for the offense include: a goal, such as the one scored by D.C. United’s Patrick Nyarko; a corner kick, which is another chance for a cross and to score; or a penalty such as a handball or a tackle on the defensive team, which would result in a penalty kick.
Atlanta United’s issues stopping and defending D.C. United’s corners weren’t related to the fullbacks being too far up the field and caught in counter-attacks, according to Martino.
He said the issues were individual mistakes, which is another reason he’s not worried about his fullbacks.
“You can defend that in a different way, (and) not by stopping your own attack,” he said. “Generally, teams haven’t scored on us because of numerical advantages.”
Colorado presents another challenge, particularly on set-pieces that can come from direct or indirect free kicks: 6-foot-7 Alex Sjoberg. Neither Atlanta United’s Leandro Gonzalez Pirez (6-1) nor Greg Garza (5-8) said they have played against someone that tall before.
Gonzalez Pirez said a key to stopping a player that tall will be to make sure he doesn’t have space. Sjoberg has two goals in 50 appearances in MLS.
But Martino hopes Atlanta United never finds itself in the situation of trying to mark Sjoberg.
“The further up the field we press, then the further from the goal the other team is playing,” he said. “We hope to keep the game in the other half of the field.”
About the Author
