Atlanta United opens a brutal stretch of three games in eight days with a visit to the Windy City to face the Fire. Squad rotation…here we come!
Atlanta United pays a visit to the Chicago Fire this Saturday night to open a stretch of three games in eight days of MLS action. The Five Stripes will be looking to get all the points in this one to set the pace for a fast three-game sprint. Atlanta returns home on Wednesday, May 9 as Sporting KC visits the ATL before finishing the three-game series at arch-rival Orlando City on Sunday, May 13.
Atlanta United holds the second spot in the Eastern Conference with 19 points from a 6-1-1 start to the season most recently roaring back to defeat Montreal 4-1 last weekend. Chicago sit in seventh place in the East and have been on a rollercoaster of results so far in 2018 collecting 8 points from a 2-3-2 start. The Fire have played better as of late going 2-1-2 over the last five since dropping the first couple of games of the season.
Atlanta United boss Tata Martino will have the upcoming games versus SKC and OCSC in mind as he runs out his XI this weekend in Chicago. Having several experienced players return from minor injuries last week has made the team selection process that much harder/easier depending on what style of play the boss wants to see this weekend. Look for Atlanta to play a very aggressive side with all the attacking firepower that King Peach can throw at the Fire.
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King Peach kits will be on display Saturday night at 8:30 PM EDT on Fox Sports Southeast and ESPN+ as Atlanta looks to bring home all the points.
The projected starting XI in a 4-3-3 formation.
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Goalkeeper: Brad Guzan. Mr. Clean Sheet is the clear No. 1 in the ATL.
Defense: Greg Garza, Michael Parkhurst, Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez, Chris McCann. Garza and McCann will get the start but will be on the short list of players to be replaced as the match shapes out in favor of the ATL. The captain and the best Atlanta defender LGP play all 90.
Midfield: Jeff Larentowicz, Darlington Nagbe, Miguel Almiron. Larry sits in deep to save his legs and that space in front of the backs while Nagbe and Miggy cover all the rest of the park moving the ball all around the Fire midfield.
Forwards: Josef Martinez, Ezequiel Barco, Hector Tito Villalba. The three-headed monster zero of the Atlanta attack gets their first extended look all together in Chicago. Speed, flair, creativity, and goals galore from this trio of attackers. Coach Tata Martino will create some sleepless nights around MLS when the defensive unit knows these guys are coming to town…
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Substitutes: Alec Kann, Kevin Kratz, Franco Escobar, Romario Williams, Brandon Vazquez, Julian Gressel, Sal Zizzo. All of these guys would be starting for 90% of the league…what a wealth of talent on reserve for King Peach Saturday night.