If selected by manager Gabriel Heinze, Alan Franco said Friday he will be ready for Atlanta United’s game against Alajuelense on Tuesday at Kennesaw State.
Franco, a 24-year-old centerback whose signing was announced by the club Thursday, said he has been training with the group for the past 10 days and that his fitness is good.
“Since my first day here, the group has treated me well,” he said. “I’m feeling comfortable as part of the group.”
Franco said he signed with the club for several reasons: playing for Heinze, who he said will get the best out of him, and the growing reputation of the franchise and MLS. He said he spoke with Ezequiel Barco, a former teammate at Independiente, several times about the transfer when it was in the works. The two are such good friends that Barco invited Franco to his house to watch Saturday’s rivalry match between Independiente and Racing Club. He joked that he doesn’t know if Lisandro Lopez, who made 172 appearances for Racing, would be invited.
“He spoke highly for the club,” Franco said. “I’m really happy to come to a big club like Atlanta. It will be great to play with Ezequiel again.”
Franco said he watched Tuesday’s 1-0 win against Alajuelense and was impressed with the work done by the team, particularly after Brad Guzan’s red card in the 43rd minute.
“That’s not a surprise because we know how hard we have been working here,” he said.
Should Franco play Tuesday in the second leg of the Champions League series, he likely would play as the second centerback on the left side of a four-man back line. Miles Robinson would be the other centerback, playing on the right. Franco said he is comfortable playing in a four-man or three-man back line. He said Nicolas Otamendi, Marcos Rojo and Sergio Ramos are players he tries to emulate.
Franco said because he is young, there still are many areas in which he can improve, but his self-scouting report make him sound similar to Robinson: constant effort, fast, good in the air and he tries to play out of the back. Put the two together, and if they play as expected, Atlanta United could have the best centerback tandem in MLS.
“I’m really happy to be with this institution,” he said.
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