It’s a new season for Atlanta United, a new chance for Luiz Araujo.
The Brazilian Designated Player underperformed – few on the team overperformed – last season, with four goals and six assists. The team failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons.
Araujo, with improved concentration and focus, according to manager Gonzalo Pineda, appears to be a different player this year. He scored six goals in the preseason friendlies. And with a roster reconstructed to help bring out the best in him and teammate Thiago Almada, will this be the season that Atlanta United rejoins the elite in MLS?
“I’m very motivated, but I’m always like that at the start of every year, so I’ve been like that my whole career, but I’m feeling really good,” Araujo said. “I think it’s going to be a good year for us, for myself, the club, and we hope it will be.”
Pineda said the focus that Araujo is putting into every little detail in training is paying off.
“Does everything at maximum speed or max intensity,” Pineda said. “He’s sharp, he’s scoring a lot of goals. And also in the training session, it’s the same, so I feel like he’s in a good, good shape to start the season.”
President Garth Lagerwey said Tuesday that the team has been built around Araujo and Almada because they are the two biggest investments and the two biggest determinants of the team’s success or failure.
Araujo appreciated the compliment Thursday and said it’s always great to play with great players such as Almada, who became the first active player in MLS history to be on a World Cup-winning squad when Argentina defeated France in Qatar in December.
To that end, the team added a few new faces who may be better fits within Pineda’s tactics and who can help bring out the best in Araujo and Almada, and the team: winger Derrick Etienne, signed as a free agent, and strikers Giorgos Giakoumakis, signed as a Designated Player, and Miguel Berry, acquired in a trade with D.C. United, and centerback Luis Abram, a left-footed player signed from Granada in Spain’s second division who is a good distributor and who has a good relationship with Almada because of their time together at a previous club, Velez Sarsfield in Argentina.
The catch for Saturday is that none of the new acquisitions may play. Giakoumakis is waiting on his visa. Etienne and Abram played a few minutes in the second half of the exhibition finale at St. Louis, so their fitness level may not be 90-minutes strong. Berry arrived this week.
The good news is that without those players, Pineda was very happy with how Araujo, Almada and the others on the team played in the friendlies. The presumed starters scored three goals against Chattanooga, two by Araujo; one at Atlante; three at Cruz Azul, including two by Araujo and one from Almada; two against Toluca, including goals from Araujo and Brooks Lennon; and two in a victory at St. Louis, including goals from Araujo and Almada.
“Last game, it was important for us to win just to gain some confidence in the process,” Pineda said. “Some things to correct for sure, but I’m very happy with the momentum that Luis has, that Thiago has, in terms of impacting in the final third. Our build-up is getting better and better. And we still don’t have the full integration of Giakoumakis and Abram, and Derek has been training only for a week-and-a-half, so I’m excited about that because we can still be much better.”
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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule
Feb. 25 vs. San Jose Earthquakes, 7:30 p.m.
March 4 vs. Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
March 11 at Charlotte FC, noon, Fox
March 18 vs. Portland Timbers, 7:30 p.m.
March 25 at Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
April 1 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
April 8 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
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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