Atlanta United’s Santiago Sosa out vs. Toronto

Atlanta United midfielder Santiago Sosa will be unavailable for a second consecutive game because of injury when the Five Stripes play against Toronto on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, according to manager Gonzalo Pineda.

He said Sosa landed awkwardly in the team’s game against NYCFC and has yet to recover. The team has three games remaining in the regular season.

Franco Ibarra took over at defensive midfielder in the recent game, a 2-1 win against Miami on Wednesday. Ibarra played 90 minutes and led the team with seven tackles. Pineda praised the 19-year-old, describing him as a very talented player.

“I think he’s going to be huge as a player,” Pineda said. “For his age, he’s very mature. I really like his mentality. He’s super resilient, always a hard worker. And I love those type of players. But he’s also a team player. He knows how to run for others, to chase for others, to cover space for others, and no complaints.”

Sosa has 25 appearances for Atlanta United this season.

Toronto’s injury list is lengthy:

OUT

Ayo Akinola - ACL injury

Tsubasa Endoh - Lower body

Ralph Priso - Lower body

Achara - Lower body

Yeferson Soteldo - Lower body

Eriq Zavaleta - Lower body

QUESTIONABLE

Dom Dwyer - Lower body

Omar Gonzalez - Lower body