Atlanta United needs its goal-scoring quartet

Atlanta United should have its standout offensive quartet of Josef Martinez, Ezequiel Barco, Luiz Araujo and Marcelino Moreno for its stretch run of four games that will determine if the team makes the playoffs.

It seems the team needs them.

Playing without Moreno and with Araujo coming off the bench three games ago, Atlanta United was defeated by Montreal 2-1. Playing without Martinez, Atlanta United defeated Toronto 2-0 two games ago. Playing without Barco and with Martinez coming off the bench, Atlanta United drew with NYCFC 1-1 on Wednesday.

Since Araujo’s arrival in August, the team is 4-1 when the quartet starts, and 3-2-1 when at least one doesn’t start or comes off the bench. Because the team is in fifth place, and only two points ahead of eighth-place NYCFC and three points ahead of the ninth-place Red Bulls, Atlanta United will need every possible point to secure a spot among the seven teams that will advance to the playoffs. The team trails fourth-place Orlando by three points. Finishing fourth would secure at least one home playoff game. Atlanta United’s next game will be against Inter Miami on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

“Obviously, we saw the result of Inter Miami beating Toronto FC 3-0 (on Wednesday), and they are a team that has nothing to lose but something to prove to themselves,” manager Gonzalo Pineda said. “You know, for next year, each player wants to prove their value, and sometimes that can provide relief for them, so it could be a super difficult game against Inter Miami.”

Should Martinez not start because of his knee, or should Pineda elect to not start one of the other three as a load-management decision, with another game coming three days later against Toronto, the team must figure out a way to improve its scoring. Though it created 12 chances against NYCFC, it finished with an expected goals total of 0.8.

“I think the buildup, the possessions, the movements, the dropping of midfield pressure is getting better, we are very good at that. It is just our final third instincts are the ones that we seem to be lacking, and it is about creating the right patterns, the right areas to attack, and being in the right positions, and that is what I feel like we need to work on for next week,” Pineda said after the NYCFC draw.

Goalkeeper Brad Guzan said the team must learn that high-percentage chances aren’t going to come one after the other.

For the season, the team is averaging just 1.26 expected goals, which ranks 21st among 27 teams.

Its 313 chances created are sixth-most in the league, but its 40 goals are 17th.

Of those 40 goals, the quartet have scored 28.

The team has scored eight goals in the four games, an average of two per game, in which the four start. It has scored 10 in the six, or 1.7 per game, in which one doesn’t play or start.

So, when chances come, they must be capitalized on. Guzan said that is one of the things that separates Martinez from other strikers in MLS.

“You look at whether it is Cubo (Torres) who comes on today and plays (Ezequiel) Barco the other night who played a false 9, all of these guys are capable of playing,” Guzan said. “So, when he (Martinez) is not on the field, it’s not so much that our tactics change, or ‘how do we play?’ We’re still creating chances. We’re still getting chances in front of goal. We just need to finish those.”

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Atlanta United’s 2021 MLS schedule

April 17 Atlanta United 0, Orlando 0

April 24 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 1

May 1 New England 2, Atlanta United 1

May 9 Atlanta United 1, Inter Miami 1

May 15 Atlanta United 1, Montreal 0

May 23 Atlanta United 1, Seattle 1