It’s been a frustrating few months for Tito Villalba. The Argentine, so important to Atlanta United’s success last season, has been forced to the sideline with nagging injuries for most of his sophomore year in MLS so far. For any player –– especially one as hungry as Villalba –– getting back on the field is a huge sigh of relief.
“I’m happy, really happy,” Villalba told reporters after the match, through a translator. “These three months have been difficult for me. It just seemed to be injury after injury, so that’s why I’m really happy to get back on the field, and this game meant a lot for me.”
It’s a welcome sight for Atlanta United fans, seeing their electric #15 burning down the right flank. That’s just what they got just six minutes after Villalba came on, after he finished off a ruthless counter-attack from Miguel Almiron to all but end the match.
“I talked to Tata before I went on the field, and he told me that there were going to be chances out there, especially when Miguel [Almirón] gets the ball and we’re on the attack, so he told me just to run with him and try to find space, and Miguel would find me.”
It capped off one of Atlanta United’s most impressive performance of the season so far, a controlling win against a Columbus Crew side that were unbeaten in ten matches coming into the night. It stretched the Five Stripes’ road unbeaten streak to seven matches, including four points this week against two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
“We want to be a good team on the road,” Villalba said. “That’s something we set for ourselves as a goal this year, to be better on the road, because last year, at times, we were weak. We want to get as many points as we possibly can, and we know it’s impossible to take all of them, but we just want to take as many as we can and be strong on the road.”
It's another big step in Villalba’s recovery process, but it’s only one step. Tata Martino said he wasn’t comfortable “risking” a 45-minute appearance for Tito yet, but coach and player both are preaching patience as the Five Stripes winger makes sure he’s fully prepared for the all-important second half of the season.
“We’re just taking it step by step,” Villalba said. “I was able to get 15 minutes tonight, hopefully against Chicago I can get some more minutes. So that’s the goal, just keep getting more minutes and trying to contribute to the team. I didn’t participate much in preseason, and I’ve been injured all season, so it just seems like the injuries have been against me, but I just want to get back and help the team.”
Saturday night was a reminder of how much he can offer, and Five Stripes fans will be looking forward to seeing him back full-time soon.
