Atlanta United is happy. Saturday will be its home opener for its eighth season in MLS.
Atlanta United is healthy. None of the players on the first team are dealing with anything that can prevent them from being selected by manager Gonzalo Pineda.
Now, Pineda has to match the players with the tactics in its attempt to defeat New England. A player’s form will be of importance when deciding the game-day roster.
“I can guarantee you, there are a few positions where it’s really hard to pick one or the other,” he said. “For us, the emphasis is everyone is sharp, everyone is confident.”
New England lost its first two league games to D.C. United and Toronto, two teams not expected to make the playoffs in the East, but easily defeated Alajuelense 4-0 on Wednesday in the first leg of their Champions Cup Round of 16 match.
In a schedule quirk, Atlanta United didn’t play last week after losing to Columbus 1-0 in Week 1. It gave Pineda and the players, particularly the new ones, more time to get to know each other and to work on what didn’t go well during the first half against the Crew.
Interestingly, it was Atlanta United’s offense, which features all of the same players from last season, that struggled against Columbus. Its defense, featuring new starters at the two centerback slots and at defensive midfielder, that held off the Crew long enough to give the offense a chance to tie the score.
“Hopefully, this Saturday we start to see some of the things that we have seen them doing in the training sessions in preseason,” Pineda said. “I think they are very good players, we have quality players and they start to know each other a little bit better as well.”
The bye week was a good chance to continue the work done during the preseason, particularly on certain actions and sequences when pressing.
“We’ve worked on ourselves,” fullback Brooks Lennon said. “I think the focus on this year, it’s to focus on what we have to control in games. We’re really excited to play here in the Benz on Saturday, and we’re playing a great team.”
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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule
Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0
March 9 vs. New England, 7:30 p.m.
March 17 vs. Orlando, 7 p.m., FS1
March 23 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
March 31 vs. Chicago, 3:30 p.m., Fox
April 6 at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.
April 14 vs. Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m., Fox
April 20 vs. Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
April 27 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
May 4 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
May 11 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
May 15 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
May 18 at Nashville, 1:30 p.m.
May 25 vs. LAFC, 7:30 p.m.
May 29 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
June 2 vs Charlotte, 4:30 p.m., Fox
June 15 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
June 19 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
June 22 at St. Louis, 8:30 p.m.
June 29 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
July 3 at New England, 7:30 p.m.
July 6 at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.
July 13 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 17 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.
July 20 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 31 at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5 vs. Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Orlando, 6 p.m.
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