Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino learned two important lessons the first time his team faced Columbus in a preseason tournament in Charleston, S.C.
Playing only its second game, Atlanta United were beaten by the Crew 2-1. Really, Columbus handled most everything Atlanta United tried. The two teams will meet for the first time in the regular season Saturday at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium, almost four months after that first meeting.
“In that game we didn’t press well,” Martino said. “If we press similar, it’s going to be the same result. They will beat us. Now, our team is more comfortable pressing. We think it will be harder for Columbus to play out of the back and generate their attack.”
And the second lesson?
“There are more teams that truly try to play than those that don’t,” Martino said Friday.
Atlanta United’s press has improved. The Five Stripes (5-6-3) lead MLS with 28 goals and have done well against most of the teams it has faced that have a similar style to its own. Teams that can play long balls, or that are good at set pieces, are the ones that have caused Atlanta United fits and are partially why it has just three wins in its past 11 games.
But the team should receive a boost, no matter the opponent’s style, because it will play three of its next five league games at home. Saturday’s game will be the team’s sixth consecutive home sellout.
It has also seen the return of Josef Martinez , who started for the first time in Wednesday's 3-2 win over Charleston in the U.S. Open Cup. He came on as a sub in last week's 2-0 loss at Chicago. It was his first action since suffering a thigh injury while playing for the Venezuelan national team in March.
Whether he plays Saturday remains to be seen.
Martinez played all 90 minutes for Atlanta United on Wednesday. Martino didn’t want that for him, Miguel Almiron or Jeff Larentowicz, but the team needing a win and an injury to Anton Walkes forced the important trio to stay on the field.
Martino didn’t seem worried about them Friday, pointing out that Almiron and Martinez played just 27 minutes and Larentowicz 64 in last week’s loss at Chicago.
Still, managing the roster during this stretch will be a challenge because of the volume and importance of the games, as well as the team may be without injured players Walkes, Kenwyne Jones and Jacob Peterson. Saturday's will be the third game in an eight-game stretch over 25 days. Two of those games involved the U.S. Open Cup: the win over Charleston and the coming game at Miami on June 28 .
Martino said that if the team were higher in the standings, he could consider resting more players for league games and prioritizing the U.S. Open Cup. But Atlanta United is in eighth place, three points outside the sixth and final playoff spot.
The Open Cup is still tantalizing. Atlanta United need to win only four more games to become the tournament champ, which comes with an automatic berth in the CONCACAF Champions League.
Martino gave a clue which way he may be leaning when it comes to prioritizing either the league or the tournament.
“Because we are in the area fighting for the playoffs, the league is really important,” he said. “This week is going to be really important for us.”
About the Author
