Atlanta United will play without several injured players, and likely will be missing others, when it opens the MLS season hosting Sporting KC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday.
The team lists midfielders Jake Mulraney (leg), Franco Ibarra (visa) and Machop Chol (leg) as out, along with Alan Franco (suspension) and Emerson Hyndman (recovery).
New Designated Player Thiago Almada hasn’t practiced this week because he is in Argentina securing his visa, and he likely will be unavailable, too.
Listed as questionable are midfielders Marcelino Moreno (foot) and Santiago Sosa (visa), who hasn’t practiced with the team this preseason because he is recovering from offseason groin surgery. Sosa is in Argentina working on obtaining a Green Card. Moreno missed the past few weeks of training because of injury and has yet to rejoin the team. He is training individually.
Manager Gonzalo Pineda said he doesn’t yet know when Almada, Sosa and Ibarra are scheduled to return.
“I can tell you I’m wishing them to be here,” he said. “And I, I wish that as soon as possible, but it’s in another’s hands, and we are just patiently waiting for them.”
Sporting KC lists forwards Alan Pulido (knee) and Nikola Vujnovic (pending immigration) and midfielder Gadi Kinda (knee) as out.
Additionally, Atlanta United announced Friday that it exercised its one-time contract buyout allowed by MLS, using it on winger Jurgen Damm. The transaction wasn’t a surprise. Pineda said weeks ago that Damm no longer was in the team’s plan. He had one of the higher salaries on the club, but produced only four assists in 24 appearances since joining in the middle of the 2020 season. Damm had guaranteed compensation in 2021 of $1,582,509, according to the MLS Salary Database.
MLS teams must be compliant with the roster rules by 8 p.m. Friday. Atlanta United may announce more moves in the coming hours. The team has 32 players on its roster. Rules allow for 30. That 32 includes two players, Ezequiel Barco and Erik Lopez, who are on loan to clubs in Argentina.
The team likely will loan some of its Homegrown players to Atlanta United 2 so that they can gain experience by playing. That group includes Efrain Morales, Bryce Washington, Justin Garces and Jackson Conway, among others.
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Atlanta United’s 2022 MLS schedule
Feb. 27 vs. Sporting KC, 3 p.m., FS1
March 5 at Colorado, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
March 13 vs. Charlotte, 4:30 p.m., FS1
March 19 vs. Montreal, 4 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 2 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 10 at Charlotte, 1:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN Deportes
April 16 vs. Cincinnati, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 24 at Miami, 1 p.m., ESPN
April 30 at Montreal, 4 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
May 7 vs. Chicago, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
May 15 vs. New England, 2 p.m., ESPN
May 21 at Nashville, 7:30 p.m. FOX
May 28 vs. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
June 19 vs Miami, 4 p.m., ESPN2
June 25 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
June 30 at New York Red Bulls, 8 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 3 at NYCFC, 5 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 9 vs. Austin, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 13 vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 17 vs. Orlando, 3 p.m., ABC
July 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 9:30 p.m., FS1
July 30 at Chicago, 5 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
August 6 vs. Seattle, 3 p.m., ABC
August 13 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. BSSO/BSSE
August 17 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
August 21 at Columbus, 6 p.m., FS1
August 28 vs. D.C. United, 4 p.m., UNIV
August 31 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 4 at Portland, 5:30 p.m., FOX
Sept. 10 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Sept. 14 at Orlando, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Sept 17 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., UniMas
Oct. 1 at New England, 1 p.m., UniMas
Oct. 9 vs. NYCFC, TBD, BSSO/BSSE
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