A difference between Atlanta United and MLS playoff teams

Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez (7) celebrates after scoring against Philadelphia in the second half of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Atlanta United won 2-0. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez (7) celebrates after scoring against Philadelphia in the second half of the Eastern Conference semifinals Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. Atlanta United won 2-0. (Hyosub Shin / Hyosub.Shin@ajc.com)

A look at the production of the Designated Players on the teams that remain in the MLS playoffs helps to understand why Atlanta United failed to make the postseason for the first time in four seasons.

With the exception of Minnesota, the remaining four teams got a lot out of their high-priced players.

Columbus may have gotten more for its dollar with 24 goals and 16 assists from its three DPs.

Here’s a chart of Designated Players and their production this season for the teams that remain in the playoffs:

Columbus

Pedro Santos: 22 games, 6 goals, 8 assists

Gyasi Zardes: 21 games, 12 goals, 4 assists

Lucas Zelarayan: 16 games, 6 goals, 4 assists

Total: 59 games, 24 goals, 16 assists

Minnesota

Thomas Chacon: 4 games, 0 goals, 0 assists

Jan Gregus: 18 games, 1 goal, 6 assists

Emanuel Reynoso: 13 games, 1 goal, 6 assists

Total: 35 games, 2 goals, 12 assists

New England

Gustavo Bou: 18 games, 5 goals, 3 assists

Adam Buksa: 23 games, 6 goals, 2 assists

Charles Gil: 6 games, 0 goals, 2 assists

Total: 47 games, 11 goals, 7 assists

Seattle

Nicolas Lodeiro: 20 games, 7 goals, 10 assists

Joao Paulo: 19 games, 2 goals, 5 assists

Raul Ruidiaz: 17 games, 12 goals, 4 assists

Total: 56 games, 21 goals, 19 assists

Sporting KC

Felipe Gutierrez: 0 games

Alan Pulido: 12 games, 6 goals, 5 assists

Johnny Russell: 21 games, 6 goals, 4 assists

Totals: 33 games, 12 goals, 9 assists

And here’s Atlanta United’s production

Ezequiel Barco: 15 games, 2 goals, 3 assists

Josef Martinez: 1 game, 0 goals, 0 assists

Pity Martinez: 7 games, 2 goals, 2 assists

Marcelino Moreno: 6 games, 2 goals, 1 assist

Totals: 29 games, 6 goals, 6 assists

As you can see, and again with the exception of Minnesota for production and Sporting KC for games, Atlanta United not only didn’t get close to the number of goals or assists but didn’t get nearly as many games from its DPs.

Obviously, the biggest reason for the differences was the season-ending loss of Josef Martinez in Week 1.

Put Martinez back into the lineup, and assume he will score 21 goals, which would be his adjusted average for this season’s 23 games, and Atlanta United likely would have made the playoffs.

Another reason for the differences were the lack of production from Barco and Pity Martinez, whose production also suffered because of Josef Martinez’s injury. Four goals and five assists from 22 games … you can see how that compares with other DPs.

But the impact of a DP can be about more than just production. It can also be about just their presence on the field, the attention they require from opposing defenses, and the chemistry that comes from being able to roll out consistent lineups.