Availability report and training notes before Atlanta United faces a new foe

Saturday afternoon, San Diego comes to town for the very first time. The 5-Stripes will look to show them what the South is all about.

Atlanta United's first ever matchup with new MLS club San Diego FC will go down at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday afternoon. The visitors will be a stiff opponent for the 5-Stripes, sitting in first place in the Western Conference just one point off Philadelphia Union in the Supporters' Shield race. It's a challenge they'll have to be up for in front of Mercedes-Benz Stadium and their faithful 17s.

The club will be celebrating Latin Heritage Night at Saturday afternoon's match. The Somos Atlanta Collection will once again be available to purchase during the match at the Atlanta United Team Store located in Section 102.

As the week gives way to the weekend, Atlanta United kept the intensity high in an oddly hot Friday morning training session for late September. Head coach Ronny Deila and Pedro Amador addressed the media with their thoughts on the team's previous result against Columbus Crew and what's in store for San Diego and ahead.

One returning, one entering the injury list

Atlanta United's availability report, and Deila himself, provided updates on the status of some 5-Stripes ahead of the match. The first, Emmanuel Latte Lath will be matchday fit for the first time since August 16. The forward was dealing with a hamstring injury that, according to Deila, was inhibiting his signature sprint speed.

Latte Lath will be eligible for selection Saturday, but it's up to Deila and the coaching staff whether he'll start from the first whistle.

Matt Edwards suffered a setback with his own hamstring recovery, according to Deila. The fullback has been out for now just under two months. The remainder of the availability report includes one more entry: Will Reilly, out with a hamstring injury he picked up against Columbus Crew Saturday night.

Dialing up the aggression

The first half of Atlanta United's game against Columbus Saturday night was no doubt one of the most shocking turns of the season so far. The 5-Stripes came into the fixture having kept two consecutive clean sheets, but they let five in the first 45 of the Crew matchup.

That defensive progress being thrown to the wind in a swift 45 minutes was a gut check for the 5-Stripes. In fact, the players huddled up after the end of the first half before they even left the pitch. Jamal Thiaré said it was a productive conversation.

"We needed this to be together and talk about what happened exactly," Thiaré said after training Tuesday. "In the second half, we had a connection."

Thiaré drew the penalty that Miguel Almirón converted to get one back before break, perhaps the initial spark in what was a near comeback. It started defensively. Head coach Ronny Deila brought on Juan Berrocal, Brooks Lennon and Reilly to sure up the defense, which went on to pitch a shutout in the second half.

Atlanta United are headed into another daunting defensive assignment in San Diego. The Californian side are tied for second most goals in MLS, midfielder Anders Dreyer leads MLS in assists, and, like Columbus, San Diego pass the ball with proficiency. They've completed 88.1 percent of their passes this season, second to just the Crew. Amador laid out some of the squad's must-haves for defending San Diego.

"Defensively, we have to be more aggressive," Amador said. "We have to try to stay more compact, and we have to help each other cover for each other. So, if someone makes a mistake, we're all there to help and to cover for each other."

Deila had the same takeaway, pointing out that it wasn't for a lack of numbers that Atlanta United conceded the goals it did. The gaffer mentioned he's interested in exploring different personnel and tactical decisions in the last five matches to see what could stick in 2026. Wins, of course, come first, though.

"First of all, to finish in a good way. That's the most important," Deila said. "That means to win some football games and try to improve the team as much as possible. Of course, we will maybe try with some things that we want to clear [up] into next season."

Deila mentioned seeing more out of defender Juan Berrocal, a summer transfer window addition who has seen limited time off the bench for the 5-Stripes so far. Another idea the staff has is to explore different midfield combinations within their same 4-2-3-1 formation.

"You have different ways of doing that inside the formation," Deila said. "You know, to play with two sixes. You can go two eights in that way. [We] could [have] players in different positions than they have done before."

Not much is off the table, but as Deila and Amador explained, experimentation always takes a backseat to getting results. The last five matches are first for pride, then for building good habits and building towards 2026.

"We have to approach them the same way we have all the past games," Amador said. "We're going to try to win, try play our best and try to leave a good image for the club."