Though it is as hard to miss as the old Delta billboard at the intersections of I-20 and I-75/85 was, Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda and his players are trying hard not to focus on the MLS standings.
Having won five of their past six games, the team is only one point out of a playoff berth and four points out of hosting at least one game in the playoffs.
A gigantic step can be taken when the team hosts Cincinnati on Wednesday and D.C. United on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Cincinnati is among the worst teams in MLS. D.C. United leads the Five Stripes by one point in those always relevant standings.
“We just need these three points,” Pineda said. “We don’t need to look at anything else. We are in a position where depends on us because we face many of the teams that we are competing against for a playoff spot. So it’s up to us. So, now, it’s not about how many points, how many teams. It’s about us winning this game tomorrow.”
The team has had only three days to prepare for Cincinnati. After demolishing Orlando 3-0 last week, the players were off Saturday and then returned to work Sunday.
To match the result it posted against the Lions, Pineda said the team will now need to have the same mental approach.
“It’s their minds where they have to be into the game, taking it seriously as if it is life or death,” Pineda said. “It’s a playoff game for us. We need those three points.”
The best way to describe what the team had against Orlando and what is needed, what Pineda said is a signature of the franchise, was poise.
Fullback George Bello, who was away from the team for almost two weeks because he was with the U.S. men’s national team for its World Cup qualifying games, said as he watched the Orlando game from the bench he saw a new focus and energy.
He said the team always has had that maturity, but that Pineda is helping bring it out again because of his attention to detail and skill at communicating.
“They have that inside them,” Pineda said. “We just tried to create the environment for them to show that passion and that attitude and confidence and that team effort that puts everyone in a good place. So it’s just trying to work together. That’s kind of my mantra with them is we need to be united. We need to be all together, not just the players, we’re the staff, the offices, we all need to be together to create that environment. And then we’re going to be tough to beat.”
The team will be helped by the return of striker Josef Martinez and centerback Miles Robinson, who were kept out of the Orlando game after playing for Venezuela and the U.S., respectively, in World Cup qualifying games.
The team will be without defensive midfielders Santiago Sosa because of yellow-card accumulation, Franco Ibarra, who is recovering from an injury, and Amar Sejdic, who is injured.
Pineda surprised Orlando last week by rolling out a “false nine” formation that allowed Ezequiel Barco, Luiz Araujo and Marcelino Moreno to take best advantage of their instincts and creativity. Pineda, who hinted last week that the “false nine” was a possibility, offered no such clues as to what he may use against Cincinnati. He pointed out that the team has its striker back, and that whether he goes with one playmaking midfielder or two, only one thing is important.
It’s going to be what helps the team in its attempted climb up the standings.
“The attitude,” he said. “The team is just trying to play as a team. And that’s what gives you the control. We’ll try to play. No one hides. Everybody wants the ball.”
TODAY’S MATCH
FC Cincinnati at Atlanta United, 7 p.m., BSSE, 92.9 FM
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