My ratings for Atlanta United's players from Saturday's 3-1 win against D.C. United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan, 7.5: Nothing he could do to stop D.C. United’s first goal. ... And then really not much to do after that because D.C. put just one more shot on frame.
Right fullback Franco Escobar, 7.5: Yamil Asad did absolutely nothing down the D.C.’s left side, which is a credit to Escobar. ... Opponents are having more and more difficulty beating Escobar...when he doesn’t get caught up field.
Centerback Michael Parkhurst, 7: No one was in the middle of the field to pick up Paul Arriola, whose pass freed Zoltan Steiber for the first goal. ... Othan than that, Parkhurst didn’t have too much to do.
Centerback Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, 7.5: Part of a group that turned Wayne Rooney into a spectator for most of his 60-plus minutes.
Left fullback Chris McCann, 7: Caught up field on D.C. United’s counter-attack for its opening goal. ... Did well in attack with two goals. ... He and Andrew Carleton had some positioning issues in first half that will be rectified as they play together more.
Holding midfielder Jeff Larentowicz, 7.5: He just goes about his business, easy peasy. ... Helped Atlanta United win the majority of the duels.
Midfielder Julian Gressel, 8: You can’t say he’s the smartest player in MLS but he’s pretty darned smart as he continues to grow into the central midfielder role ... Will be interesting to see if he remains there with Ezequiel Barco for however how long and Eric Remedi arriving.
Right midfielder Hector Villalba, 7.5: His first four crosses were not good, at all. ... But his fifth led to Josef Martinez’s first goal. ... It was his fifth assist this season. ...
Left midfielder Andrew Carleton, 7.5: Making his first MLS start, the Homegrown product made a quick impact with a cross to Martinez in the third minute. ... First two shots were right at David Ousted. ... His pass led to Martinez’s second goal. He wasn’t given credit because the pass was first touched by a D.C. United player. ... Seemed to grow more confident as the game went on. ... After drifting inside often in the first half, stayed wide in the second half. ...
Attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron, 8: Earned his 10th assist this season on Martinez’s first goal. ... Earned his 11th assist on Martinez’s final goal. ... Failed to put four of his five shots on frame, which is something that was an issue in the preseason and early in the season.
Striker Josef Martinez, 10: Stopped by David Ousted on a breakaway in the 30th minute. ... Scored on a header a few seconds later to tie the game at 1. ... Martinez became the 21st player in league history to score at least 20 goals in a single season. ... Added a third when DC United defenders collided near the top of the penalty box. .. He rounded Ousted and tapped it in.
SUBS
Brandon Vazquez (on for Carleton, 65th minute), 6: Workman-like performance from a player who is growing in confidence.
Eric Remedi (on for Villalba, 77th minute), 6: Not a bad showing for a guy who just arrived in the U.S. eight days ago.
Kevin Kratz (on for Martinez, 85th minute, NR:
