Atlanta United’s fast-paced, scorching attack has turned heads around the league since the start of the season and has certainly made headlines since debuting in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, scoring 17 goals through just four matches.
A key part in the expansion side’s superb form has been 23-year-old midfielder Yamil Asad, who has played all but two minutes inside their new home. Though his work rate and movement may fly under the radar at times, the youngster’s talent was on full display Wednesday night against the Galaxy.
“You think about the attacking players, I feel like (Yamil) Asad is kind of the one who doesn’t get all of the attention,” said teammate and MLS veteran Jeff Larentowicz, “but tonight it was good because he scored a couple of goals and he deserves that. He deserves that performance. He deserves that attention.”
Directly involved in every goal of their 4-0 domination over L.A., Asad capped the night off with two goals and two assists showcasing not only his finishing ability but also his vision, awareness, fitness and poise on the ball. Winning the Golden Spike vote from the Atlanta United fans was the icing on the cake on a memorable night for the Argentine.
“Yamil is so important to the team,” said head coach Tata Martino, “It doesn’t take him scoring goals for me to notice him with all of the things that he brings to us. But today, he played a great game and everyone was able to see that with him scoring twice.”
Asad has proved himself as one of the top off-season acquisitions of the year now with six goals and twelve assists on the season, while starting all but two matches so far. But it’s not just him that’s been orchestrating Atlanta’s attack and following last night’s match, Asad was quick to point out that that the caliber of players around him make all the difference.
“Josef (Martinez), Tito (Hector Villalba) and Miguel (Almiron) are all really dangerous players for us,” stated Asad. “They make some great diagonal runs that open up the space. We all try to take advantage of that.”
The young South American contingent that leads the Atlanta United front line is fast, fluid and ever-threatening, and Asad’s skillset seems to be thriving in Martino’s free-flowing system. They will be at it once again as they try to continue their magical run in Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday when the expansion side host the Montreal Impact. Secure your seat to watch Asad and company take another step toward the MLS Cup Playoffs by purchasing your tickets here.
