Atlanta United will visit NYCFC on Saturday in a game with huge implications for the MLS Eastern Conference.
The Five Stripes lead the league and East with 29 points. NYCFC is second in the East with 27 points.
A win for Atlanta United would see it go possibly 12 points clear of the sixth-place team in the conference. A win for NYCFC would move it ahead of Atlanta United in the conference and in the Supporters’ Shield race.
It could be a game filled with some of the best talent the league has with Atlanta United’sJosef Martinez and Miguel Almiron and NYCFC’s David Villa and Maxi Moralez.
The team split the points in a 2-2 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier this season.
Five talking points ahead of Saturday’s important game:
1. Injuries: Not only was NYCFC humiliated (again) by New York Red Bulls 4-0 in its U.S Open Cup game, prolific striker Villa left the game with a hip injury. Atlanta United played its U.S. Open Cup game without defender Chris McCann (hamstring) and Hector Villalba (hyperextended knee). On the balance, the potential absences of Alex Ring (knee), who was in the 18 but didn't play, and Villa are much more impactful to NYCFC. Ring is arguably the best defensive midfielder on NYCFC (remember him chasing down Almiron in Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier this season), and he scored a heck of a goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the draw. Villa is a legend with 71 goals in 105 appearances. The team did play well without him earlier this season, but …
2. Rumors: NYCFC manager Patrick Vieira may or may not be going to manage Nice in the next few days. The rumors have been circulating for weeks and it seems like something is close to being done. The team has won just twice in its past five league games, and those two wins came against struggling teams Colorado and Orlando. The rumors may be a distraction and could affect the team on Saturday.
3. Fatigue: Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino was able to select a team for Wednesday's 3-0 win over Charleston in the U.S. Open Cup that was composed mostly of reserves. He did tap three regular starters though: centerback Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, midfielder Julian Gressel and striker Ezequiel Barco. Each played at least 71 minutes. Martino said he doesn't think that the minutes played will affect their availability for Saturday.
4. Formation: Atlanta United has had great success this season using a 3-5-2 formation during league games. It has been defeated just once while deploying it, which requires three centerbacks, two wingbacks, three midfielders and two strikers. The small pitch at Yankee Stadium, NYCFC's home, makes a 3-5-2 almost impossible because there is no width. Five midfielders (three plus the two wingbacks) will end up running over each other. The team used the 4-3-3 formation on Wednesday that carried it to the playoffs last season. It has used it three times during the league season, losing all three games. However, two of those losses can be attributed to the team being reduced men because of red cards. It still played well using the formation in the losses to New York Red Bulls and Sporting KC, even down a man. Martino has pointed that out several times.
5. Martinez and Almiron: There may not be a better duo in MLS than Atlanta United striker Martinez, who leads the league with 12 goals, and Almiron, who is arguably the favorite to win MVP. How Vieira tries to defend them will have an obvious effect on the game's outcome. They thrive on big fields, where they can take advantage of their speed. Yankee Stadium, as previously noted, isn't a big field. Though listed as 70 yards by 110 yards, it's not. It's believed to actually be 68X106. The field at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is 75X115.
So, at Yankee Stadium, passing, not dribbling, takes priority. It’s not as much passing into space to run onto the ball. It’s precise passing to people. It’s a different type of soccer than Atlanta United, with Martinez and Almiron, typically plays.
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