Manager Gerardo Martino wants to see effort and trust when Atlanta United plays Chattanooga on Saturday in its first preseason game at Finley Stadium.
“It’s clear that the effort doesn’t have to do with how training’s gone,” he said through an interpreter. “Individually and collectively, we are in stage that we are. I’d like to start to see symptoms of what the team will play like during the season.”
Martino said he will attempt to play everyone currently in training camp. The only exception may be midfielder Miguel Almiron , who is dealing with a minor knee injury. Martino said the trainers will evaluate Almiron on Thursday and Friday and decide if he will play Saturday. Almiron is one of three Designated Players on the roster along with Hector Villalba and Josef Martinez.
“Expectations are really good,” Almiron said through an interpreter. “We are finishing a really good preseason. The teammates are great. We are going to arrive in good form on Saturday.”
Martino said they are considering using two different starting 11s in each half, which is typical for soccer teams during the preseason. He said a decision on who will captain the team Saturday hasn’t been made.
The team is finishing its third week of training, which started Jan. 23 in Bradenton, Fla. The team moved its base to its under-construction headquarters in Marietta this week and next week will train in Flowery Branch before departing for Charleston and its next preseason game against Columbus on Feb. 18.
“We are getting to know each other,” Martino said. “We want to keep improving, to keep getting to know each other and to start gaining trust in the style of play.”
Martino has said in the past the team likely will play either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation. He typically has played a high-pressing system designed to keep the ball in the opponent’s half.
Midfielder Jeff Larentowicz, who has more than 300 MLS appearances, said the expectation is to start to see the tactics, but this first game may turn into more of a fitness test.
Ticket sales are projected to be between 5,000-10,000.
“This is their first opportunity to see us on the field, the uniforms and Atlanta represented by a team of guys playing soccer,” he said. “It’s an exciting moment. Hope to see a few of them out there.”
Most supporters likely will be keen to see Villalba and Martinez, with others eyeing the future in SuperDraft picks Miles Robinson, Julian Gressel and Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu. Robinson is a defender who was selected second in the first round of the SuperDraft, Gressel is a midfielder who was picked eighth in the first round and Wheeler-Omiunu is a midfielder selected in the third round.
“They are young players, but you can tell that their soccer IQ is high,” Larentowicz, said. “Athleticism is really good as well. They are fitting in nicely.”
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