Which Atlanta United players could benefit from next few weeks?

If one player’s absence is another player’s opportunity, which Atlanta United players will have a chance to show manager Gabriel Heinze that they can perform in the next few weeks?

The first chance comes Thursday at Nashville.

The list is long of players who will not be available for the game: goalkeeper Brad Guzan, centerback Miles Robinson, fullback George Bello, midfielder Ezequiel Barco and midfielder Franco Ibarra are definitely out. Likely out will be centerback Alan Franco, midfielder Matheus Rossetto and midfielder Jurgen Damm. I’ll be surprised if striker Josef Martinez and midfielder Santiago Sosa miss the game. They didn’t play in the 3-0 loss at Chicago because they were getting their fitness back.

So, I think the team will likely be without eight players, including five starters, on Thursday.

Who will step up?

Alec Kann for Guzan. This is a given. Kann, when healthy, has been the No. 2 goalkeeper since the team’s first season in 2017. The 30-year-old is good enough to be a starter for a few MLS teams. He has made just one start in a league game since 2018, after making 18 appearances in 2017, in which he allowed 25 goals. He has made several starts for Atlanta United 2 the past few seasons. Ben Lundgaard will back up Kann. Please stop asking for Rocco Rios Novo. That’s not going to happen, I don’t think.

Alex De John for Robinson. This is my best guess based upon De John has an appearance this season. If Franco is healthy, it will be him. De John’s one appearance resulted in a goal and loss at Inter Miami because he attempted an awful cross field pass. But one play does not a career make. It would be interesting to see Campbell, a Homegrown, get a chance. He played in the first game at Alajuelense and hasn’t made an appearance since despite helping the team post a shutout. As soon as Franco becomes healthy, this will be his spot.

Mikey Ambrose for Bello. Ambrose made his first appearance this season last week as a sub. Ambrose is smart and will get forward. He’s not going to be as dynamic or as fast as Bello. He’s likely not going to make the same type of plays, but he is a good player as most of you know from his time with the team from 2017-19 when he made 20 appearances. You may ask why not Ronald Hernandez? He’s right-footed.

Machop Chol for Barco (as a midfielder). This is a gamble because Chol has just two appearances and would be stepping in for a Designated Player but gambles are needed right now to spark an offense that has been shut out in three consecutive games. Comparing Chol’s play in this position with Barco’s play in this position would be to ask if they were playing the same sport. Chol isn’t going to dribble a lot. He is going to try to get behind the back line of defenses. He is going to win headers. He is going to be an A-to-B player because he is fast. He is a threat in the box. Chol will likely make a mistake on defense because of his lack of experience. He’s not likely going to make that cross-field pass that Barco hits from time to time. But he can be effective.

Marcelino Moreno for Barco (as an attacking midfielder). Though he has hit a few good crosses, including one to Chol last week, Moreno seems to be a much better player when he’s inside than when he’s outside. He leads the team in goals and is second in key passes (17). Having Martinez back should help him turn some of those key passes into assists.

Mo Adams for Sosa for Ibarra. With Sosa’s likely return, I’ll be curious to see if Adams continues to play as the holding midfielder with Sosa moving slightly higher in the formation in place of Ibarra. Doing so would allow Sosa to take advantage of his aggressive instincts and, again, try to help this offense. It’s interesting because to look at the lineups, players like Ibarra are frequently listed as playing right midfield, but they almost always end up playing centrally. The same for Barco. When listed as a left midfielder, it seems that he usually ends up as a left forward. If Heinze moves Sosa back to the holding midfielder, it’s a chance for Tyler Wolff to make his second consecutive start. He created one chance last week. He needs consecutive minutes to continue to develop. Adams made his first start last week. It was a mixed-bag. He could be held responsible for the first goal but he also made several tackles to stop counterattacks. He led the team with six tackles and completed 89.5 percent of his passes.

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