Wearing either a black cast or brace on his left hand, Josef Martinez looked like his usual self during Atlanta United’s training session on Thursday.
The Venezuelan made quick runs on offense, was tenacious on defense and not at all hesitant after leaving Wednesday’s training session with what looked like an air cast on his left arm from shoulder to wrist.
“He’s a striker,” teammate Kevin Kratz said Thursday. “Once they are in it they are totally focused on the game and trying to find spots to score. Hopefully he will do that on the weekend.”
Atlanta United (4-1-0), winners of four consecutive games, will host unbeaten NYCFC (5-0-1) on Sunday in a battle of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. Martinez is a big reason why Atlanta United is playing well. He has scored five goals this season and 24 in 25 league games.
Chris McCann and Kratz said they were as freaked out as the team’s supporters when Martinez stayed on the ground on Wednesday after colliding with a teammate during a finishing drill.
“I think everybody felt it was a lot worse because he was down for quite some time,” McCann said.
Kratz said when Martinez is knocked down or falls, he typically bounces right back up.
“If he stays on the ground for a little bit it’s scary,” he said.
Atlanta United has yet to reveal Martinez’s injury. The brace/cast, with white tape underneath, was the only clue to the nature of what might have happened on Wednesday.
MLS does allow players to wear small, lightweight casts with padding and no sharp edges during games. The referee would need to examine the cast before the game, typically in the presence of the team doctor or the venue medical director.
Martinez wasn’t the only key player to return to training on Thursday.
Midfielder Ezequiel Barco returned after sitting out Wednesday’s as a previously scheduled day off. Thursday’s was his second training session since suffering a quad injury in the week before the season-opening game at Houston.
Barco, 19, is the most expensive transfer in MLS history at a reported $15 million. He had solid moments during the preseason, including scoring a goal.
However, midfielder Hector Villalba and defender Franco Escobar didn’t participate in training on Thursday. Escobar hasn’t trained with the team since he sustained a concussion in the second half of the win against Vancouver on March 17. The team hasn’t disclosed if Villalba has an injury. He was seen by supporters pointing to the back of his thigh before being subbed out during the second half of last week’s 5-0 win against LAFC.
If Villalba can’t play on Sunday, and manager Gerardo Martino elects to use the 3-5-2 formation used during the winning the four-game streak, he could use Miguel Almiron or Barco as the second striker, and the other as the left-sided midfielder. Martino could use choose to use Romario Williams or Jon Gallagher to pair with Martinez. Williams scored his first goal for Atlanta United last week. Gallagher has scored three for Atlanta United 2 this season.
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