Though they were only on the field together for 34 minutes, Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said he liked what he saw from Josef Martinez, Hector Villalba, Ezequiel Barco and Miguel Almiron in Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Sporting KC.
It was the first time the group of strikers and midfielders were on the field together at the same time this season. They were broken up when Martino was forced to sub off Villalba so that he could put Paul Christensen into goal following a red card to Brad Guzan.
Martino said for the first 35 minutes, when it was 11 versus 11, Atlanta United was the superior team. Though a Martinez goal was disallowed, Martino thought the Five Stripes could have led by several goals. He liked the way the group was attacking from both sides of the field and from different angles.
Atlanta United will play Orlando City on Sunday, which will be the next time the group could see the field together.
They had yet to play together because of injuries. Barco missed the first five games because of a quad injury. He returned and Villalba missed the next two games because of a strained hamstring.
Atlanta United used a 4-3-3 formation against Sporting KC, which allowed each player in the group to slide into their natural position: Martinez at striker, Barco as a forward on the left and Villalba as a forward on the right, with Almiron playing as an attacking midfielder.
The team had used a 3-5-2 formation during its eight-game unbeaten streak that stretched from Game 2 through Game 9.
Martino said he could see using the group of players in a 3-5-2, especially in situations where he said the team needs to rally or to score a goal.
Using them in a 3-5-2 would require at least one of the group playing in an unfamiliar position because instead of using wide forwards, the formation uses wingbacks who have more defensive responsibilities.
Atlanta United defenders Michael Parkhurst and Greg Garza also said they thought the team executed the formation well. Parkhurst said they had hardly trained it this season. It was the formation the team used almost exclusively last season in making the playoffs.
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