Striker Josef Martinez and fullback Ronald Hernandez are scheduled to re-join Atlanta United for training this week because they don’t have to go through quarantine, having already been vaccinated against COVID-19, according to MLS rules.

Both players have been competing with Venezuela in the Copa America men’s soccer tournament in South America. The team was eliminated from the competition Sunday.

Martinez has two goals in seven appearances this season. Atlanta United has been shut out in its past two games, a 1-0 loss at NYCFC and a 0-0 draw with New York Red Bulls. Hernandez has yet to play for the team this season.

Atlanta United will play at Chicago on Saturday.

Midfielder Franco Ibarra, who left Sunday’s game with an injury, is scheduled to undergo additional tests before it can be determined when he will return. Manager Gabriel Heinze said after the game that he thought Ibarra suffered a hamstring injury.

Winger Jurgen Damm, who was ruled out of Sunday’s game very late, is week to week with what the team describes as a lower body injury.

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In a joint bid between four countries, Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium was designated as a potential host stadium for the 2031 Women’s World Cup. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)