How badly does Atlanta United miss injured star JosefMartinez?

The Five Stripes exited the MLS is Back Tournament without scoring a goal. They lost their third 1-0 decision when they fell to the Columbus Crew Tuesday night at the ESPNWide World of Sports.

Atlanta peppered Crew backup goalkeeper Andrew Tarbell with 13 second-half shots — five on target — but could not score.

The three losses cameafter Atlanta United opened the MLS season with a pair of 2-1 wins. Martinez tore his ACL in the season-opening win at expansion Nashville SC. In its final game before the March lockdown, AtlantaUnited fell to Club America, 3-0, in the Concacaf Champions League.

“This is four games,” said Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan. “Something needs to be changed.Conversations need to take place and a different product on the field.”

Dutchman Frank de Boer is in his second season in charge of Atlanta United. It also started poorly in 2019,opening with two losses and two losses in league play. It ended up winning the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup and reaching the Eastern Conference final, where it fell to Toronto FC.

“I can change the vibe we have now to a winning vibe,” he insisted. “We showed this last season.

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3 Comments

  1. It has got to be tough to get into the flow of things considering what has happened the last few months. Considering the way the Dutch think about the game and how they want to play makes it even more difficult to put the pieces together for we see in so many more parts, like a watch pieces fitting together.  But in fact you can probably get away playing the way of a sundial instead of a watch… I’m sure if DeBoer chooses to play an English style it would make a damn bit of difference, the way things are going for him right now you consider even his main scorer is absent.

    …I don’t know about you guys but I have difficulty getting into the game ,myself, this season with all this garbage going on…. Today’s Liverpool -Chelsea will be the first attempt for me watch a game, hopefully I can get back into it. 

  2. Unfortuantely ATL UTD lost too many pieces in the off-season…Gressel, LGP, Tito Villalba, Parkhurst retiring, and NAGBE.  The nail in the coffin was Martinez tearing his ACL.  Too many key players and leaders gone and it will take a while to get the new players situated and in cohesion with the returning players.

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