With Atlanta United and Atlanta United 2 each playing Saturday, manager Gabriel Heinze said that some of the Homegrown players who aren’t going to be involved with the first team against Chicago will be given the choice to play for the 2s.
Heinze said he couldn’t yet say which players because he needs to ask each of them if they want to play for the 2s.
Atlanta United will host Chicago at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 8 p.m. Saturday. Atlanta United 2 will open its USL season at Louisville at 7:30 p.m.
Atlanta United’s Homegrowns are fullback George Bello, centerback George Campbell, winger Machop Chol, midfielder Tyler Wolff, striker Jackson Conway and centerback Efrain Morales, who is loan to Atlanta United 2 for the season.
Of the Homegrowns, Conway and Morales didn’t make a game-day roster for the first team in its series against Alajuelense in the Champions League or its MLS opener at Orlando. Bello has started three games, Campbell has played a few minutes and Chol came off the bench in the second half against Orlando.
It could be argued that it might not be a bad thing if the Homegrowns don’t play for the 2s on Saturday because Atlanta United is in the challenging position of playing Saturday and then again Tuesday, when it hosts Philadelphia in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. It may need all the fresh legs it has available.
Heinze said he wasn’t looking toward Tuesday yet and that if any players who get minutes Saturday also are who he thinks will help the team against the Union, then he won’t hesitate to select them again.
“They need to be able to adapt and play every day because that is what they are asked to do,” he said. “There are no excuses.”
Winger Marcelino Moreno said he thinks the players have the quality to be able to go again on two days’ rest.
The team could get a boost because midfielder Matheus Rossetto resumed training with the first team. He missed part of training camp because he returned to Brazil, presumably to work on getting a green card, and then had to quarantine on his return to the U.S.
Centerback Alan Franco, who made the game-day roster against Orlando but didn’t play, also will be available for selection for the games.
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