Laurence Wyke was shocked, but ready, when he was told at halftime to get ready to play the second half of Atlanta United’s game at Nashville Saturday.
A key player for Atlanta United 2 last season, Wyke had recently signed a four-day contract with the team to fill out the seven slots on the bench.
“I had to be ready,” he said. “Didn’t think it was going to happen. “
And then centerback Franco Escobar suffered an undisclosed injury late in the first half on a cold night in Music City. Wyke spent halftime warming up.
As the rest of the team came out of the locker room and onto the field, goalkeeper Brad Guzan gave Wyke a bear hug and earful of advice.
“I know his personality and what he’s like as a player,” Guzan said. “Play with confidence and don’t give any silly free kicks away.”
Job done.
Wyke made one interception, two clearances, two recoveries and zero goals allowed in his 45-plus minutes. He showed his skill with a cross-field pass to Jake Mulraney down the left, which he said was part of his instructions from manager Frank de Boer.
Other instructions? Play simply and do everything the team works on in training.
“First game, so that there was a lot of stress,” he said. “But we got the three points and that’s all that matters.”
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