Marcelino Moreno was named to the MLS Team of the Week presented by Audi on Monday, April 4. The midfielder had a standout game against D.C. United and scored the game-winner in second-half stoppage time.
The goal arrived late in the match on one of Atlanta United’s final chances to go beyond a scoreless draw. Atlanta United earned a corner kick and defender Brooks Lennon delivered a high arching ball into the box. Moreno nodded the ball down and it bounced into the corner past D.C. goalkeeper Bill Hamid.
Atlanta United stole three points in D.C. to get its first win on the road this season.
“It was a very hard game to play, very physical, but I think due to our talent, our experience, we’re able to take the three points back to Atlanta,” Moreno said.
The goal was Moreno’s first of the season. So far in 2022, he’s also responsible for two of Atlanta United’s six assists, tied with Josef Martínez for most on the team.
Moreno played a full 90 minutes against D.C. United. The midfielder has been working his way back into full form, so Saturday was his first time playing a full match in 2022.
“The last game I was able to play 90 minutes was in New York, so it’s been a long time since then,” Moreno said. “I’ve been training really hard physically to get to this point, so right now the feelings that I have are very positive.”
Against D.C. United, Moreno paired up with Thiago Almada to ignite Atlanta United’s attack. The two were looking frequently for Martínez up top, passing through balls so he could get behind the D.C. United defense, which is something head coach Gonzalo Pineda hopes the pair can do more of this season.
“That always puts a smile on my face because those two specifically are talented players for us, and we want them at the same time in the team, and they need to coexist in the same areas at times,” Pineda said. “But being able to combine, and today we saw a little bit of that, and I think they did a good job.”
This is Moreno’s first league honors of the season and the second overall for Atlanta United in 2022. Martínez was named to the Team of the Week after his performance Week 1 against Sporting Kansas City.
