Mateusz Klich hurried onto the pitch for Tuesday’s training, antsy to get back out on the pitch with his teammates. He had a rough couple weeks, he said, dealing with pneumonia and a quad injury. The last thing he wanted to do was more isolated work on his own.
“I couldn't wait,” Klich said. “… I just couldn't wait anymore and couldn't be inside. I want to go out there and train, because it's killing me.”
Klich was excited to be running around with his guys. Players practiced quick passing in rondos, worked on timing runs with through ball and finishing drills and scrimmaged on shorter fields. The squad is searching for a spark, now with an opportunity to play three straight games at home.
Return of the Klich
Klich started and played 80 minutes in Atlanta United’s home opener and appeared for 14 minutes as a substitute against New York Red Bulls. But that’s all he had played this season before Saturday.
Klich admitted that he wasn’t sure if he was fit to play against FC Cincinnati. Still, he handled his business when he came into the match for the final 10 minutes.
“I’m [feeling] better after the training,” Klich said. “I feel good today and hopefully get fitter for the for the games. I can't wait to actually play games instead of just watching games.”
It’s no wonder why Klich is so keen to get back out there. The Polish midfielder isn’t used to missing much time the last couple of seasons. He played 63 matches over his two seasons for D.C. United in the MLS regular season alone. He’s already missed as many regular season matches this season as he did last season.
Making it back out onto the pitch is a key step, but the next is for Klich to get back to playing 90 minutes, something he has yet to do this season.
Midfield Madness
The defensive midfield pivot has been a revolving door this season for Atlanta United, and it has yielded great results. Klich is one of five midfielders — along with Bartosz Slisz, Jay Fortune, Tristan Muyumba and Will Reilly — to start a match as a No. 6 this season for the 5-Stripes.
Attacking chemistry has been a huge talking point in the early days of this season, but the compatibility in the midfield may be just as important in the overall function of the squad. It’s those defensive midfielders that supervise possession, from winning the ball back to making sure it gets into a dangerous space in attack.
Typically, when a position is rotating that much, production is a problem. Not for Atlanta United. It might be the deepest position group in the squad.
“That’s the most important thing, because the best teams in the world, they have two players on every position,” Klich said. “You compete and you have injuries, and you put another player in and you don't see the difference. We need everyone.”
The midfield is driving what is one of the best teams in MLS at regaining possession. Per FBRef.com, Atlanta United is sixth in the league in recoveries with 237 and tied for third in interceptions with 55. That’s symptomatic of a midfield that’s not only active on its own but interacting well with other position groups.
“We have good players, and you need a good squad,” Klich said. “We get in there, and we get in there as a team too. We need the connections, not only us in midfield, but with our front four and our defenders. We’re working on it, and we showed glimpses of really good play, and we have to do it more often.”
A chance to gain momentum
Now’s a better time than ever for Atlanta United to string together good results, with three straight home games coming up.
The 5-Stripes showed determination in picking up a point on the road against Cincinnati, especially after conceding twice in quick fashion. Saba Lobjanizde’s cross forced an equalizing own goal in the 88th minute, as the winger truly shined on the right side of the attack and earned a spot on the bench for MLS Team of the Matchday.
Saba carried that form over into Tuesday’s training, keeping the ball on a string and chipped in a beautiful goal during finishing drills. His crossing, which earned him an assist on Emmanuel Latte Lath’s goal, was just as crisp at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground.
The man behind that assist, Cayman Togashi, spoke after training Tuesday. He talked about how he was able to quickly read the defenders on his throw in that sent Saba through for his cross. The secondary assist was Togashi’s first goal contribution of his Atlanta United career.
Togashi came into the game at attacking midfielder after Muyumba’s injury forced Alexey Miranchuk further back in the formation.
“I’m used to playing the No. 10 role,” Togashi said through a translator, “but I'm not the type of guy to get the goal. I’m more like a mobility type of player, finding the gaps in between the defenders’ line. That's what I was thinking to perform and contribute for the team in that moment.”
Togashi built some momentum of his own with that performance, as he had only played 14 minutes this season before coming on. He very well may be called upon again during Atlanta United’s homestand.
“We won the home opener first game, and then after that, we didn't get the results that we wanted,” Togashi said. “I think these three games [are] going to be crucial moments for us to keep the good momentum and then take the positive results in those three games.”
