Coming home with two wins under their belts, Atlanta United feel the wind at their backs. They've picked up two wins on the bounce, both on the road, and now the 5-Stripes host Eastern Conference foe CF Montréal at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, May 2. The mood from head coach Tata Martino and Will Reilly wasn't one of excessive celebration, vindication, or retribution. It was of determination.
Atlanta United wants to do everything they can to, as Martino put it, "prolong this good moment that we're having."
Almirón officially questionable among other availability improvements
After securing the squad's first back-to-back road wins since 2019, Martino is seeing the evolution he's spoken about from his players as he changed the starting lineup for the last two matches. The young 5-Stripes have been holding it down, proving themselves valuable while veterans remained out.
Now, there's a chance Atlanta United will have some options back at their disposal. Though Steven Alzate remains out recovering from an adductor injury, three players have moved from out to questionable. Captain Miguel Almirón shakes back from a knee issue, Cayman Togashi is quickly recovering from an ankle injury and Sergio Santos is recovering from a calf problem.
With the final two home matches before the World Cup break coming up, the team is optimistic about getting healthier and finishing the stretch strong.
Player |
Injury |
Status |
Miguel Almirón |
Knee |
Questionable |
Steven Alzate |
Adductor |
Out |
Sergio Santos |
Calf |
Questionable |
Cayman Togashi |
Ankle |
Questionable |
Young guns in the driver's seat
The wins in the last two matches have, in many ways, been engineered by a contingent of Atlanta United homegrowns that aren't playing like their age.
Cooper Sanchez, 18, Will Reilly, 23, and Jay Fortune, 23, have all held down the midfield at points throughout Atlanta United's last two matches. Martino was asked whether seeing them grow into their roles in the squad feels like a proud-father moment.
"Almost a grandfather," Martino said in Spanish with a smile. "I like when there's a group of young players who feel that. They take the responsibility, they're brave, they want to do well for the club to help the club."
Reilly had a pivotal performance in the midweek U.S. Open Cup win, with an extra memorable moment in the 63rd minute. When captain Alexey Miranchuk was subbed off the pitch, he passed the armband to Emmanuel Latte Lath, who immediately ran to Reilly to give it to him.
"I was super surprised, I was not expecting it," Reilly said. "Manu just came over and tossed it to me. I thought he was passing me a note, but it was the armband. It was super cool. Having come up through the Academy especially and seeing all these massive guys in the club that have worn the armband, that was a cool experience."
Reilly played a complete match at the center defensive midfield position, cleaning up potential Charlotte attacks and circulating possession. The No. 6 role has been a strong spot over the last two wins for the 5-Stripes, whether it's been Reilly or Tristan Muyumba, who played Saturday.
"There's definitely belief in the process, and we're still a long way off from the ultimate goal of how we want to be playing," Reilly said, "but it's on the right track."
Between Reilly's performances, Sanchez scoring his first goal for the club, Fortune setting up Miranchuk's free kick last weekend and other contributing Homegrowns in Luke Brennan and Matt Edwards, there's a lot of young promise in the squad at the moment. It's a pride point for them and the city.
"This is our team. We grew up here. This is part of our identity," Reilly said. "It's given us so much, we have a connection to this club and this city. No one wants to just be a passenger on a train that's headed straight into a wall. We want to be a part of this and assume the responsibility. It's not just a bunch of kids in this team anymore, we want to be full members of this team."
If it ain't broke, don't fix it?
The youngsters spurring on a turn of form is not only critical for the immediate future, but it gives Martino and his staff a sense of stability and more answers for different match conditions. It's been especially crucial while Almirón has missed time.
"When a team is missing good players and it's able to find answers, as we have in these games without those players, it's a good thing," Martino said. "With Miguel, what we want to do is make the team even stronger ... but it is valuable, the answers that we've seen and what we've been able to get while he's been out."
Up front might be the most intriguing lineup decisions for the coaches. Will Almirón be good to return? Does Miranchuk start as a false nine as he did over the midweek? Will Emmanuel Latte Lath return to the starting lineup after a couple of matches starting on the bench? Martino, of course, won't tip his hand.
"We could continue using Alexey in that position, that's a possibility," Martino said. "Those decisions have to do with our team but also with the opponents that we're facing."
What El Profe will do is support squad rotation.
"I always prefer that the whole group is involved," Martino said. "The best way to have the whole group involved is to be able to get everyone some kind of participation."
As the 5-Stripes look to hosting a Montréal side that is right next to them in the table, they know a third consecutive win would really begin to cement their improvement and begin to yield tangible rewards in moving up the table.
"More than the challenges that Montréal presents, we're focused on the challenges about our own team and continuing to evolve the team as we can," Martino said. "To prolong this good moment that we're having and continue winning. For us it's about continuing to improve and not taking a step back in any way."
