Atlanta United’s preseason will hit another gear in the next 10 days because the team is headed to the Tampa area and then to Miami to fine-tune tactics and learn more about each other.
The Five Stripes were scheduled to fly to Florida on Tuesday afternoon. They will play Montreal in a friendly Wednesday. The format will be four 30-minute periods. Atlanta United will follow by playing Tampa Bay on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled to be played at Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg.
After the match against Tampa Bay, the team will head across the state to finish its preseason. It will play Sporting KC on Feb. 17. The team will then fly back to Atlanta to begin preparing for its season-opening match at Columbus on Feb. 24.
“I think the goal has to be to win every single game,” centerback Noah Cobb said. “There’s a saying, winning is a habit. I think there’s times during the season where you’re not necessarily playing your best. But if you can still scrape together those results, then that’s what can really push you into that top four (in the standings). But I think also just making sure we’re really coming together as a group and the locker room’s really, really solid.”
Atlanta United 1-0-1 in its preseason friendlies. It defeated Birmingham 2-1 two weeks ago and tied Memphis 1-1 last week in Athens. The team will continue to work on its defensive shape and recognizing keys when to press.
With the exception of Thiago Almada, who is playing for Argentina’s Under-23 national team in Olympic qualifying in Venezuela, the entire team should travel to Florida. Several players, including centerback Stian Gregersen and Dax McCarty, were held out of the friendly in Athens. Caleb Wiley, who sustained a shoulder injury while with the U.S. men’s national team, returned to training Tuesday. Edwin Mosquera, who sustained a groin injury while with Colombia’s U-23 national team, was seen jogging and doing other exercises.
Gregersen and McCarty are two of the five players who weren’t on the first team or with Atlanta United 2 last season.
“That’s a huge positive part of the preseason, and the new faces coming in the locker room, and we try to make them very welcome from the first day and to make easier and then get to know each other even more because we all know that it’s going to help in the pitch, right?” fullback Ronald Hernandez said.
For more content about Atlanta United
Follow me on Twitter/X @DougRobersonAJC
On Facebook at Atlanta United News Now
On Instagram at DouglasDavidRoberson
Atlanta United coverage on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Southern Fried Soccer podcast can be found
Apple - https://apple.co/3ISD6Ve
Spotify - https://spoti.fi/3L8TN0C
Google podcasts - https://bit.ly/32KlZW3
If you are listening to us for the first time, please follow us on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcast ... and if you like what you hear, please give us a good rating so we can grow the show. If you have questions about the MLS team, you can email Doug Roberson at droberson@ajc.com, DM him on Twitter @dougrobersonajc or call 404-526-2527.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has a special offer for our podcast listeners. If you subscribe today, you can get three months of unlimited digital access for just 99 cents. That’s all of our sports coverage, politics, breaking news, investigations, food and dining, and so much more on AJC.com. Plus, access to our ePaper and our assortment of newsletters. So, join our community by going to subscribe.ajc.com/podcasts that’s subscribe.ajc.com/podcasts so you always know what’s really going on.
Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule
Feb. 24 at Columbus, 2 p.m.
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.
About the Author
