Starting XI and roster notes: 5-Stripes swap out sections of squad for midweek match

Head coach Tata Martino and his Atlanta United side are in the middle of an intense run of matches that will, by the end, be seven in the span of three weeks. With that level of fixture congestion, squad rotation and quality depth is imperative. The 5-Stripes will look to put that on display Wednesday night against New England. 

Five starters return from the weekend's match: Lucas Hoyos in goal, Enea Mihaj in defense, Matías Galarza and Cooper Sanchez in the midfield and captain Alexey Miranchuk up front. The forward will captain the 5-Stripes for the third consecutive match in Miguel Almirón's absence. 

Many of the players in Wednesday night's XI are new to starting lineup in MLS play this season, though most featured in the U.S. Open Cup match against Chattanooga FC a week ago. 

Juan Berrocal, Matt Edwards and Pedro Amador join the defense. Amador scored the final goal in Atlanta United's 3-1 win last Wednesday and will look to continue that good form in MLS play. 

In the middle of the park, Will Reilly joins Sanchez and Galarza for his second MLS start this season. He'll likely be the one occupying the deeper No. 6 role, though the 5-Stripes have fielded fluid midfields often this season. 

Up front, Fafa Picault makes his first MLS start for Atlanta United. The veteran of the league will be in line for his 179th start across his 10 years in the league with various clubs. Saba Lobjanidze returns to the XI for his fourth start in MLS play this season. They'll bring new dynamics to an attack that is looking to break a goalless streak.  

Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United vs New England Revolution:

Lucas Hoyos, Matt Edwards, Juan Berrocal, Enea Mihaj, Pedro Amador, Will Reilly, Matías Galarza, Cooper Sanchez, Fafa Picault, Saba Lobjanidze, Alexey Miranchuk (C)

Reserves: Jayden Hibbert, Elías Báez, Ronald Hernández, Juan Berrocal, Tristan Muyumba, Jay Fortune, Luke Brennan, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Cayman Togashi

Roster Notes:

--  MLS journeyman Fafa Picault makes his first start with Atlanta United. The forward has played in MLS for 10 seasons now, having totaled 178 appearances with six other clubs. 

-- Alexey Miranchuk captains the 5-Stripes for the third match in a row and makes his 50th appearance for the club in MLS regular season play. The forward has scored a team-high 4 goals this season. 

-- Cooper Sanchez starts his eighth match for Atlanta United this season. The 18-year old completed 95.3% of his passes against Nashville, going 41-for-43 in total. 

-- Enea Mihaj continues to rank among the league’s best in terms of interceptions. He had four in the match against Nashville last Saturday and now has 17 on the season, tied for third in MLS coming into this midweek matchup. 

-- Miguel Almirón was listed as unavailable on Friday's availability report. Atlanta United's number 10 is dealing with knee irritation after coming off in the club's match against Chattanooga FC April 15.

-- Atlanta’s largest margin of victory in franchise history came on Sept. 13, 2017 against New England when Atlanta won 7-0. The 5-Stripes are 5-2-2 (W-L-D) in home matches against the Revolution.