There will be a lot of firsts Saturday when Atlanta United hosts Nashville in MLS action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
- Stephen Glass’ first game as the Five Stripes’ interim manager.
- Nashville’s first trip to Atlanta.
- The first MLS game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium that will be played without people in the stands in an attempt to mitigate COVID-19.
And what could be a few firsts:
- The appearances of new signings Jurgen Damm and Erick Torres.
- And of most importance, the team’s first goal in its past four games.
After all, if Atlanta United doesn’t score, it can’t win and snap its three-game losing streak in the league and four across all competitions.
Here are five things to watch:
The formation. Glass wants his team to attack. It was built to be an attacking team. Atlanta United hasn’t looked like one since its loss to Toronto in the Eastern Conference finals in the 2019 playoffs.
Will Glass stick with three in the back? Will he go with four in the back, which could free another player to join the attack?
Glass has judiciously declined to give any hints, instead saying that there being so much unknown about the team could serve as an advantage.
The team has the personnel to play with three in the back or four in the back. It has proved unable to play the 3-4-3 that previous manager Frank de Boer liked, which is among the reasons he and the club parted ways after the debacle in Orlando.
The starting 11. Unlike de Boer, who would sometimes reveal at least one starter when pressed, Glass revealed nothing in a 10-minute interview Thursday. Based upon his comments about fitness, it seems unlikely that Damm and Torres will be in the starting 11 for this game because he referenced they were slightly behind their teammates.
Of the 11, goalkeeper Brad Guzan, centerbacks Miles Robinson and Fernando Meza, attackers Pity Martinez and Ezequiel Barco and central midfielder Emerson Hyndman seem like locks.
The rest, notably striker, will be intriguing. If not Torres, Adam Jahn and J.J. Williams are the choices.
Don’t read too much into whomever starts because the team still has five more games to play in the next three weeks. There will be a rotation, according to Glass.
Who will Glass use to turn around the attack? A lot of it is based upon getting the players focused on going forward and moving the ball quickly, according to Robinson.
Regarding Martinez and Barco, Glass said he is finding ways to try to put them into positions to succeed. Robinson said the duo has been good at finding pockets of space between opposing midfielders and defenders, which allows them to turn and run at the back line.
The fullbacks also will be important.
The group, composed of George Bello, Brooks Lennon, Franco Escobar, Edgar Castillo and Jake Mulraney, are indefatigable runners. Escobar has proved to be very potent when attacking.
How will an empty stadium affect the game? Atlanta United will try to do as much as it can to make it seem like there are the usual 50,000-plus in the stadium. They are going to use prerecorded noise from past home games. The “A-T-L” chant, also prerecorded, will play.
The players got a taste of the noise Wednesday during a training session at the stadium, and those asked said they liked it.
It wouldn’t seem like having no supporters would be a big deal, but this team has had trouble finding higher gears at times when playing in front of small crowds. The three-game losing streak in Orlando is the most recent example.
If the team scores, who will have the honor? It won’t be Josef Martinez, who is out for the season. It won’t be Erick Lopez because he isn’t available. Barco and Hyndman remain tied for the team lead in goals (2). They are the only players to score this season. If the team can play as Glass wants them to play, and Nashville plays the defensive soccer it has played, Pity Martinez should get plenty of chances on free kicks and in the run of play.
“If we look after our business on Saturday, the performance level of Atlanta United players will determine how this game goes,” Glass said.
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Atlanta United coming games
Saturday vs. Nashville, 7 p.m. (Fox Sports South)
Aug. 26 at Miami, 8 p.m. (Fox Sports South)
Aug. 29 vs. Orlando, 3:30 p.m. (Univision)
Sept. 2 vs. Miami, 7 p.m. (FS1)
Sept. 5 at Orlando, 8 p.m. (Fox)
Sept. 12 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. (Fox Sports South)
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