There were just 14 outfield players out on the pitch at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground for Tuesday’s training session. That can only mean one thing: It’s international break.
Atlanta United will be thrilled to have so many players representing their countries, but it’s certainly dropped the numbers in training and for the next match against FC Cincinnati. Now’s the time for the 5-Stripes to prove their depth.
“Everyone needs to be ready and needs to want [it],” Xande Silva said after training Tuesday. “That’s the only the way you're going to get where you want to get.”
Next man up
Head coach Ronny Deila and Chief Soccer Officer and Sporting Director Chris Henderson didn’t just sign stars like Miguel Almirón and Emmanuel Latte Lath in the offseason. They rounded out the squad by adding pieces like Mateusz Klich and Cayman Togashi. They also signed homegrowns like Will Reilly to the first team. Now, these moves will come to fruition.
“We have to use this week to get as good as possible of a team on the pitch,” Deila said after the Miami game Sunday night. “There’s going to be opportunities for players that haven’t played so much. That’s also really, really good. I’m looking forward to that, to make them ready and go out and fight and try to get something.”
Tuesday saw some youngsters in the fold for the first time since the start of the season. Ashton Gordon and Adyn Torres, Atlanta United’s homegrown players who train mostly with the 2s, joined the first team training along with another 2s player in Ronan Wynne. The three of them kept up with the pace and moved the ball well in rondo drills.
Reilly’s performances in training are starting to raise eyebrows. He impressed in the preseason by being dynamic on the ball and smart in exploiting space in the defense to create chances. He had the ball on a string at times during practice Tuesday and showed a very natural understanding of how to use his body when dribbling. It feels like it’s only a matter of time before he gets a chance in a game, and it might be on Saturday with Bartosz Slisz away.
The defense is where the most shifting will take place. Derrick Williams is the only center back on the roster who will be available Saturday. Noah Cobb, Luis Abram, Stian Gregersen and Efraín Morales are all representing their countries. Should Ronald Hernández be healthy (he’s been nursing a quad injury), he could be an option in the center back role despite typically playing fullback.
Xande Silva’s got a shot
One of the step-up candidates is a player who has already contributed greatly to the club, Xande Silva. Almirón will be missing from the attack, potentially paving the way for Saba Lobjanidze to move to the right side and Silva to start on the left.
Silva is accepting his role coming off the bench this season with Almirón’s signing, and the Portuguese winger knows he still has chances to impact the club’s success. As someone who has scored match-winning goals in crucial moments for Atlanta United, he could be a huge threat for the 5-Stripes on Saturday.
He found himself on the end of a cross in the 82nd minute Sunday against Inter Miami not but 10 yards from the goal. His scissor-kick soared over the bar, but the attempt showcased a fearless mentality that everyone on the squad can learn from.
“That’s life. You cannot be afraid,” Silva said about the team’s attacking struggles. “Football is like life. When you work hard, you succeed. I think you need to go the games not scared but aware. We can make mistakes, and we’re there to fix it.”
Atlanta United’s first few games have been about understanding how much to risk. Deila said Sunday that he didn’t want his players to be unsettled or nervous about what they’re doing on the pitch and attributed that to the drop off in quality after the first phase of the game.
Silva was moving freely during short-field scrimmages Tuesday, at one point flicking the ball over the keeper to hit it again and score. He’s fresh and said he’s ready to go for a start if he were chosen.
“If [we] don't achieve what we want to achieve in those [first] 35 minutes, we get disappointed, we get frustrated,” Silva said. “I think we just need to keep going, even if you don't score.”
Progress to production
The brief exodus due to the international break comes at a particularly tricky time for a team, and specifically an attack, that’s still figuring itself out. Chemistry is building, and each game there’s been more and more positives to take away from the attacking output. But Atlanta United needs goals, and most importantly points, to show for it.
Latte Lath can at the very least say he’s been productive himself. He scored his third goal of the season, another leaping header, against Inter Miami. He leads the team in goals, shots on target and expected goals.
The Ivorian has a true goal scorer’s mentality and is willing to go wherever the chances are.
“For a striker, being in the box is the most important,” Latte Lath said after training Tuesday. “If you go [front] post or [back] post, it doesn't matter, because you need to be there and be ready for crosses.”
In terms of chemistry, the connection between him and recently returned right back Brooks Lennon proved strong almost immediately. The two connected in the 11th minute for the first goal of the game and would’ve done it again in the 19th minute if not for a close offsides call.
“Even in training, we tried to find the connection,” Latte Lath said. “He tried to explain how he crosses it toward me. I tried to study him and Pedro [Amador and how] they can give me the ball. Good connection.”
How long will it take for the results to match the progress? The answer to that will determine just how dangerous Atlanta United will be in the early stages of this season.
“It's just [about] the right timing,” Latte Lath said about the attacking chemistry. “We will never know. Sometimes it takes one week, two weeks, one month, five months. We need to keep going, do the right things and just listen.”
