Match preview: Asado and assimilation as Atlanta United gears up for D.C. United

There's smoke billowing and a smell of pure bliss just outside the building at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground. That can only mean one thing: Asado.

A cultural fixture in Argentina and across South America, the act of barbecuing is just as much social sustenance as it is physical. It's a place for people to come together in community, an outlet any good soccer team would want. For this particular Atlanta United team, one that features South Americans up and down the staff and squad, asados are a natural method of bonding. They've hosted two of them in the early goings of the season, the most recent of them Wednesday afternoon. 

Asado hours and the keys to D.C.

You would think the asador, or the person doing the cooking, would be head coach Tata Martino, but that apparently isn't the case. No, El Profe said it's assistant coaches Manuel Alfaro and Damian Silvero that lead the asado.  

"At the least, us Argentinians understand that it fortifies the group," Martino said in Spanish after training Thursday. "We think it's a good way to strengthen the bonds within the group and to chat and share some time together."

After Atlanta United picked up its 3 points of the 2026 season, Martino and Co. aren't just kicking back and cooking meat. Trainings this week have the 5-Stripes dialed in for a different challenge to their last opponent. 

Philadelphia's direct attacking style admittedly played to Atlanta's counterattacking strength, but now it's D.C. United this Saturday, March 21 they'll turn to. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET, and the visitors may play with a similar focus. At least that's what Martino and his staff have scouted. 

"We take a fairly similar shape in each game and it's to assume the protagonist role," Martino said. "... We're going to face a team that, in terms of their tactical disposition, are similar to Philadelphia." 

Tai Baribo, the forward who scored 16 goals for Philadelphia last season now leads the lines for D.C. United. He's put 3 in the back of the net this year and will ask questions of Atlanta United's back line.

Patience is a virtue for Stian Gregersen

The 5-Stripes have a defensive performance to build on from last time out, and the reemergence of Stian Gregersen is to thank. The Norwegian center back wasn't selected for the first three matches of the season, but that didn't deter him. He isn't concerned about how Martino picks his squad, just controlling what he can control. 

"I have been patient and worked hard," Gregersen said after training Tuesday. "... Everybody wants to play."

Gregersen's pace at the center back position has always been a calling card, but it's proving even more important in a system where the central defenders are often isolated when the fullbacks overlap. 

It was an offseason full of learning for Gregersen, who is striving to stay fight off his recurring injuries. He said he got blood testing done to help inform his workload and dieting, and he's added different stretching routines to his post-training regimen. 

For all the individual work he's put in, Gregersen is still always thinking about team results first. 

"It's very important for us to get this confidence," he said. "It was a hard start for us, but we finally won and got the 3 points and we have to continue."

Tomás Jacob: Franco Escobar regen?

Tomás Jacob, fresh off his first goal for Atlanta United, brought his positive energy into the press conference room at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training ground. The 21-year-old Argentinian has made the adjustment to a new club and assimilation a new country look easy thus far, and he's done it all with a smile on his face. 

A versatile asset for his manager, Jacob has already featured at holding midfielder and as a right back. He thrived in both positions, but there's no doubt that his last two matches at right back have been his most productive so far. 

If you squint, Jacob might remind Atlanta United fans of another Argentinian fullback in the club's history. Franco Escobar made the same roving runs forward, displayed the same passion and had plenty of iconic moments with the 5-Stripes — the final goal of Atlanta United's MLS Cup victory in 2018, for one.

A finish at the back post from a long cross in, 17s must've gotten déjà vu when Jacob scored his first goal for the club last Saturday.

It's no mere coincidence, as Jacob said Martino has instructed him to study Escobar.

"When I debuted at Newell's [Old Boys], Franco was with the team, so he's someone who I admired a lot as a player coming up," Jacob said in Spanish after training Thursday. "I've looked at his game and tried to learn things from him."

Jacob's willingness to get forward, he said, is a balance, knowing he doesn't want to leave room for opposing attacks in behind. The fullback can cover some serious ground, though, and his 6-foot-2 frame makes him a true force physically. It's something the 5-Stripes have needed.

"On a personal level, [my physicality] is the most important," Jacob said. "I have to work on this because it's my strength ... Both me and the team take advantage of it."

Jacob is clicking on the pitch, but his comfort level away from the football is what is truly allowing him to integrate quickly. A large part of that is the presence of Latin American players and coaches at the club. It's those asados, those mornings sharing mate with the team that bit by bit make the assimilation process smoother.

"I think it helps the adaptation process to the team, to the city," Jacob said. "It helps because it puts us in a good mood, it helps make us comfortable. When you come to a new country, it's not easy, but being able to come and talk to these guys and have mate and share in the experience is helping the process."