It's taken some time, but the pieces from Atlanta United's busy Secondary Transfer Window are starting to fall into place.
First, it was Júnior Alonso and Paulo Díaz. Then, Breel Embolo started for the first time last Saturday night. Mauricio Amaro followed soon after, further filling in the picture of head coach Tata Martino and Chief Soccer Officer Chris Henderson's vision for the roster.
The midfielder started his first match in red, black and gold at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Wednesday, putting in a full-90-minute shift. He and the 5-Stripes will fly to Washington to take on D.C. United in what could be one of Atlanta United's final chances to keep a playoff push alive. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night, and Amaro very well may play an important role once more.
Amaro's arrival
It's rare that a 21-year-old's introduction into a squad is so anticipated, but Mauricio Amaro's introduction couldn't have come at a better time. The Uruguayan midfielder waited out a long visa process and made his debut against Inter Miami CF last Saturday.
Amaro stayed fit while away, doing running drills separate from his previous club's training sessions. That discipline is paying off, as he's been immediately called on as a contributor.
His impact is coming in the form of physicality and defensive intelligence, holding down the defensive midfield position.
"I’m a technical type of player that’s good at marking and knows how to run the pitch well," Amaro said in Spanish Friday. "What I can help the team with is marking, technically and positioning the team well."
Though he says he'll play No. 6 or further ahead in a No. 8 role, Amaro will likely be Martino's pick in the defensive midfield going forward.
It's a new style of play, one with more physicality and transitions according to the U-22 Initiative signing. Amaro jumped at the opportunity to join a club he knew was growing alongside MLS.
"When I was having conversations with Atlanta, it wasn’t me but by representative talking with the club," Amaro said. "I wasn’t worried about those things until it was official. I knew that the league was growing and that Atlanta was a good team."
Amaro has what will hopefully be a long career ahead of him, and the youngster is prepared to take things as they come.
"My personal expectation is to go improving each day and always learn from the teammates that I have who are really good," Amaro said. "On the [Uruguayan] National Team, I will arrive when I have to arrive, in no rush."
Another chance to make up ground in playoff push
Tata Martino made no mistakes about the urgency of Atlanta United's playoff chances after the club's 3-2 loss to Orlando City SC Wednesday night.
"We aren’t in a position to play around much with results," Martino said after the match.
D.C. presents an opportunity to gain some ground back. The hosts are 6 points ahead of Atlanta United and in 11th place, just outside of a Wild Card spot. The two sides fought to a 0-0 draw back in March, a match that the 5-Stripes will learn from in preparation for Saturday.
Tai Baribo will be a focus for Atlanta United's backline. The forward has 14 goals in MLS play this season, tied for third in the league.
The 5-Stripes should have a good number of players healthy for their matchup at the Black and Red. The club's availability report Friday listed just two as out, and Cooper Sanchez will return from concussion protocol.
"What the team needs maybe is a bit of rotation of players, and from there you can recover the intensity that we saw at least in the match in Miami and that we had the other day [against Orlando] during the first 25 minutes," Martino said.
Capturing that consistent level was an important topic for Martino Friday. He spent plenty of time discussing how he thinks Atlanta United can up their consistency and show their best for the entirety of matches.
"The message that’s useful is the one that the fans see on the field," Martino said. "I also understand the frustration because if I look as a fan, I observe a game against Miami that generates expectations. Then three days later I observe that we’re in these highs and lows that ultimately is what’s putting us in the position that we’re in."
Integrating multiple new pieces on varying timelines is a challenge for any coaching staff, one which Martino and his crew are dealing with at this very moment. El Profe said he can see things coming together day by day but called on his side not to write off a possible push to the postseason.
"We’re content with the progress but I also don't want to miss out on the rest of this season," Martino said. "I like to actively participate in the progress that we’re doing with the working group at the club."
