Atlanta United players say it’s too early to evaluate Emerson Hyndman’s progress with the team, but they’re determined to make his adjustment to the Five Stripes as seamless as possible.
Atlanta United completed its transfer for the 23-year-old midfielder earlier this week, and Friday morning was one of his first practices with the team. Still, manager Frank de Boer has high hopes for him when he steps on the pitch — which could be as early as Wednesday in a game against St. Louis.
“We analyzed him very well from a lot of the footage we saw from him,” de Boer said. “I think he’s a quality player. He can play box-to-box. It’s hard to defend those types of players. He’s a quality addition to our roster.”
Atlanta United acquired Hyndman on a loan from Bournemouth and will be able to purchase him after the 2019 MLS season. A native of Dallas, Hyndman, who was not made available to media Friday, has two appearances with the U.S. men’s national team and several with the youth national teams.
He played for Dallas Academy FC and teams in England and Scotland. Atlanta United traded to Dallas an international roster slot in 2019 and 2020, and $200,000 in General Allocation Money to add Hyndman. De Boer said his play in both countries show that he can be an asset.
“I like what I saw,” de Boer said, “and what I’ve seen in training so far is also good.” He’s shown his technique against big teams with high intensity, so we have a lot of confidence.”
Midfielder Julian Gressel and defender Michael Parkurst both said they’re still getting to know him, but are excited for the contributions he’ll make. As veterans, it’s up to them to make him feel comfortable, Parkhurst said.
“He’s a good kid and is nice off the field,” Parkurst said. “I know he’ll be a hard-worker, and he’ll fit well in our locker room. Hopefully, he’ll be able to get fit quick and provide us with some help in this stretch of games we have coming up.”
Hyndman’s addition brings depth to a roster that is still facing so nagging injuries. Both forward Hector Villalba and midfielder Ezequiel Barco are recovering from knee injuries, and De Boer said both are unavailable for Sunday’s game against the New York Red Bulls. De Boer was more optimistic about Barco, saying he may be able to start running and participate in team activities soon if a medical report on Sunday goes well. Forward Josef Martinez, the reigning MLS MVP who’s played with the Venezuelan national team in Copa America this past month, also is slated to return Sunday.
“Normally he’s quite big because everybody's counting on him,” de Boer said. “Not only our team, but also the opposite side, of course. Josef brings a spirit in the team and I love that he’s back.”
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