The status of Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez and midfielder Santiago Sosa for playing in Wednesday’s key game against Miami won’t be decided until later Tuesday or possibly Wednesday.
Sosa suffered an undisclosed injury in the previous game, a draw with NYCFC, that required him to be subbed out in the second half. Manager Gonzalo Pineda said Tuesday that Sosa did a double session Tuesday and that the team was going to run another test to determine the midfielder’s availability for the game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta United is in the seventh and final playoff spot in the East with four games remaining. It trails fourth-place Orlando by four points and leads 10th-place Miami by five.
Sosa, 22, has appeared in 25 games this season. Pineda relies on him as a steadying presence in the midfield both on defense and on offense. Sosa wasn’t seen training with the team Tuesday.
Should Sosa not be available, Pineda said whoever he selects to start won’t be asked to do the same job as Sosa, but will be required to execute what is asked. Because he said the team is blessed with talent, he said there are myriad formations the team can play should Sosa not be available, or even with Sosa.
Additionally, Pineda said that managing the minutes of striker Martinez, who leads the team with 10 goals, is still a responsibility despite the team needing to win as many points as possible from these remaining games. Martinez did train with the team Tuesday.
Pineda said that decision will be made tomorrow and will be based upon conversations with Martinez, data gathered from training sessions and the “eye test.”
“But if he’s good, good to go, we can play him 90 minutes,” Pineda said. “We’re confident in him. It’s just again, we need to assess him in the moment tomorrow.”
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Atlanta United’s 2021 MLS schedule
April 17 Atlanta United 0, Orlando 0
April 24 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 1
May 1 New England 2, Atlanta United 1
May 9 Atlanta United 1, Inter Miami 1
May 15 Atlanta United 1, Montreal 0
May 23 Atlanta United 1, Seattle 1
May 29 Atlanta United 2, Nashville 2
June 20 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2
June 23 NYCFC 1, Atlanta United 0
June 27 Atlanta United 0, New York Red Bulls 0
July 3 Chicago 3, Atlanta United 0
July 8 Atlanta United 2, Nashville 2
July 17 New England 1, Atlanta United 0
July 21 Atlanta United 1, Cincinnati 1
July 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0
July 30 Orlando 3, Atlanta United 2
Aug. 4 Atlanta United 2, Montreal 2
Aug. 7 Atlanta United 3, Columbus 2
Aug. 15 Atlanta United 1, LAFC 0
Aug. 18 Atlanta United 1, Toronto 0
Aug. 21 Atlanta United 2, D.C. United 1
Aug. 28 Nashville 2, Atlanta United 0
Sept. 10 Atlanta United 3, Orlando 0
Sept. 15 Atlanta United 4, Cincinnati 0
Sept. 18 Atlanta United 3, D.C. United 2
Sept. 25 Philadelphia 1, Atlanta United 0
Sept. 29 Atlanta United 1, Inter Miami 0
Oct. 2 Montreal 2, Atlanta United 1
Oct. 16 Atlanta United 2, Toronto 0
Oct. 20 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1
Oct. 27 vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Oct. 30 vs. Toronto, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Nov. 3 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., FS1
Nov. 7 at Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
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