Who will start for Atlanta United (15-9-10) in Thursday's playoff game against Columbus (16-12-6) at what is expected to be a sold-out Mercedes-Benz Stadium?
The big question is if captain Michael Parkhurst will play after he sustained a twisted knee in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Toronto.
If he’s not 100 percent, I would be surprised if he is in the starting 11. The stakes are too high and Columbus too good to not put anyone on the field who isn’t at their best.
Here goes:
Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan.
Right fullback: Anton Walkes.
Centerback: Jeff Larentowicz, who will start in place of Parkhurst.
Centerback: Leandro Gonzalez Pirez, who missed the game against Toronto because of yellow card accumulation.
Left fullback: Chris McCann, who will start his second consecutive game after returning from injury.
Holding midfielder: Carlos Carmona, who will be tasked with limiting the influence of Federico Higuain.
Holding midfielder: Julian Gressel, who has five goals and nine assists.
Right midfielder: Hector Villalba, who has 13 goals and 11 assists.
Attacking midfielder: Miguel Almiron, who has nine goals and 14 assists.
Left midfielder: Yamil Asad, who has seven goals and 13 assists.
Striker: Josef Martinez, who has 19 goals.
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