How might Atlanta United players react to criticism of de Boer?

“You have one of our more outspoken and influential players, a player that has been a consistent leader for this team over the past couple of years now, talking publicly about that. It only creates more inward pressure on the coaching staff. I’m sure it’s difficult being here now that Leandro’s here and Frank’s back in Atlanta. Probably straight into his office Thursday morning.

“As a coach you try to keep that internal and you try to keep that within the group when you have those discussions. When it goes public it will put pressure on the team. The players will be talking about that. The players who aren’t around.

“It’s less on how the team may react. It feels to me that all the team feels that way. It’s hard not to when yo u had success last year playing a different way from now not having that.

Now how does the coaching staff handle this? Are they viewed as weak if they do change and go in a certain way. But how can they with the team find the right system that fits? They’ve been trying all season.

“The 3-5-2 is playing different than under Tata (Gerardo Martino).

“It’s tough when you had a coach that was so liked and so successful. To me this is a really important period for de Boer to not lose this team and to give them enough to make them feel empowered in an attacking sense and a little freer, while still keeping his principles that he thinks will make this team successful in the playoffs.

“When he spoke to us, he felt the team conceded goals too easily. Too often they relied on (Miguel) Almiron and (Josef) Martinez to win them games. He thinks it will be better for the playoffs, but how do you convince your team of that when they won that way, that they can win this way as well? That’s going to be the biggest challenge: finding a formula that keeps the players happy and matches with the results.”

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Brian Dunseth, co-host of Counter Attack on SiriusXM FC
Credentials: Played in MLS from 1997-2003, 2005 and 2006

“Personally, I don’t think it has much effect on the team. I think he is speaking his truth and he’s probably speaking his truth for the group with the way that we’ve seen on outside as fans, as media, as pundits have kind of assumed because it does look different. It feels different.

“I think more so, it’s pulling the curtain back for a fan base and media base. Instead of guessing how the players feel about it, now we have a little more clarity.

“How this moves going forward is still to be determined.

“I think it’s a great team with great pieces and players. But this ongoing drama isn’t going to go away, specially with these types of comments and the physical reaction of Pity (Martinez) every time he’s subbed off the field.”

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Tony Meola, co-host of Counter Attack on SiriusXM FC
Credentials: Played in three World Cups for U.S.; played in MLS from 1996-2006

“I’m a little more old school. I don’t know how any of this helps your team, to go public, to question your manager.

“The fact that he doesn’t like the tactics is OK because everyone has played on teams where you don’t like the tactics.

“I might be a little more old-school here, for a lack of a better term, which makes me older. There’s probably some guys that feels exactly the way he does. There’s probably some guys in the other camp, as well, right?

“I can’t imagine that a lot of positive comes out of it. Other than you will have some guys in the locker room rally around you. But how does it help your team. That’s the part i would struggle with the most.

“I’ve said dumb things to that probably shouldn’t have been said publicly when I was playing. But I learned from those quickly. I think he’ll learn at some level that there might be a different way to do it.”