Atlanta United has faced one test this season in which it was missing several key players.
Without three starters, Atlanta United failed, losing 6-1 at Columbus.
It will face a lesser test Saturday at Toronto in which the Five Stripes (4-1-2) will be without goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who is out at least 10 weeks with a torn MCL, and Franco Ibarra, who will serve a one-game red-card suspension. Guzan’s injury and Ibarra’s red card happened in last week’s 1-1 draw at NYCFC.
Guzan will be replaced by Quentin Westberg. Ibarra will be replaced by ... Pineda has yet to say.
Atlanta United and Toronto have played once this season. The match ended with a 1-1 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Saturday’s match will be the first time Atlanta United will face an opponent for the second time this season.
Here are five thoughts about the match:
Will Thiago Almada start? Almada, who leads Atlanta United with four goals and five assists, sustained an undisclosed injury in Saturday’s 1-1 draw at NYCFC.
Almada, an attacking midfielder, didn’t rejoin the team’s training session until Thursday.
Pineda said the team would run Almada through tests Friday before deciding if he will play against Toronto.
It would be surprising if Almada doesn’t play.
In the only game he’s missed this season, Atlanta United was defeated 6-1 by Columbus.
Who will replace Ibarra? Pineda said the team has several options at defensive midfielder, where Ibarra started the first seven games and was third in MLS in duels (113) and second in duels won (67).
Pineda’s options include Santiago Sosa, the more natural replacement for Ibarra, Homegrown Ajani Fortune, or Amar Sejdic and Matheus Rossetto, who have played as defensive midfielders, but are better suited as central midfielders.
Toronto likely will rule out an experienced trio of Michael Bradley, Mark-Anthony Kaye and Jonathan Osorio. Bradley and Osorio have combined for more than 600 appearances.
“We’ll see what what midfield pair or third we come up, and we’ll see,” Pineda said.
Conundrum on the left. For the first time this season, Caleb Wiley, Andrew Gutman and Derrick Etienne are 90-minutes fit.
Within Pineda’s preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, there is only room for two players on the left side of the formation.
Wiley started at left wing and Gutman at left fullback in the first five games. Wiley, who recently was called to his first U.S. men’s camp, produced three goals and two assists.
Wiley shifted to left fullback and Etienne to left wing following an adductor injury suffered by Gutman during the loss at Columbus.
Etienne didn’t score the past two games, but did have a goal called back for a very close offside in the draw at NYCFC.
Pineda wasn’t tipping his hand Thursday. He did described their strengths: Wiley, because he’s left-footed, tends to stay outside, though he can come inside. Etienne, who is right-footed, tends to drift inside. Both are good in transition.
“The two that give us the best possibilities to win, we’ll start, and then it’s part of the game plan, maybe having a game changer for the second half and some adjustments in that I think we’re very strong on that side,” Pineda said.
Luiz Araujo’s production. Araujo, a right wing, hasn’t posted a goal or an assist in the past three games.
Pineda said he feels Araujo has been unlucky.
The Etienne goal that was called back for offside against NYCFC started with a pass from Araujo. He hit another to Giorgos Giakoumakis, who passed to Almada, whose stop was stopped.
So, Pineda implied it’s just a matter of time.
“I think once he starts to get rewarded with some of those, I think he will start to produce even more,” Pineda said.
He also complimented Araujo’s defensive work.
“I think he’s doing the right things,” Pineda said.
Defending Federico Bernardeschi. In the previous meeting, Atlanta United successfully pressed Toronto for most of the game.
The one time the press broke down, Bradley found Bernardeschi on the right flank. He scored.
Bernardeschi leads Toronto with three goals and two assists.
As a team, Toronto is challenged on offense this season and has scored eight goals in seven games.
Toronto may get a boost with the return of Lorenzo Insigne, who is listed as questionable this week. Insigne scored six goals with two assists in 11 appearances last season.
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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule
Feb. 25 Atlanta United 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1
March 4 Atlanta United 1, Toronto FC 1
March 11 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte FC 0
March 18 Atlanta United 5, Portland 1
March 25 Columbus 6, Atlanta United 1
April 1 Atlanta United 1, New York Red Bulls 0
April 8 Atlanta United 1, New York City FC 1
April 15 at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
April 23 vs. Chicago Fire FC, 4:30 p.m., FS1
April 29 at Nashville SC, 1:30 p.m., Fox
May 6 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
May 13 vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m.
May 17 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m.
May 20 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.
May 27 at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
May 31 vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m., FS1
June 3 at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m.
June 10 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
June 21 vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
June 24 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
July 2 vs. Philadelphia Union, 4 p.m., Fox
July 8 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 12 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
July 15 vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m., FS1
Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA
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