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Atlanta United: Where they stand at the All-Star break

By Josh Bouland

ATLANTA, GA MAY 9: Atlanta fans fly a flag during the match between Atlanta United and Kansas City on May 9, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Sporting Kansas City defeated Atlanta United FC 2 0. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA MAY 9: Atlanta fans fly a flag during the match between Atlanta United and Kansas City on May 9, 2018 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. Sporting Kansas City defeated Atlanta United FC 2 0. (Photo by Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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FOXBOROUGH, MA – MAY 30: Atlanta United FC midfielder Darlington Nagbe (6) during a match between the New England Revolution and Atlanta United FC on May 30, 2018, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Revolution and Atlanta played to a 1-1 draw. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MA – MAY 30: Atlanta United FC midfielder Darlington Nagbe (6) during a match between the New England Revolution and Atlanta United FC on May 30, 2018, at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Revolution and Atlanta played to a 1-1 draw. (Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Best Newcomer

This is a tough award to choose for Atlanta United. There are many players to choose from, including Darlington Nagbe, Franco Escobar, Ezequiel Barco, and even Eric Remedi. Each player has their strengths, and I think an argument can be made for each player to take home this midseason award. That being said, each player also has issues going against them in the case for this award.

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Remedi is the first one to take off this list. He has only logged 103 minutes and made one start, but those minutes were impactful on the team. He just hasn’t put in as much work as the other players in contention, considering he just arrived to the team barely over a week ago.

Escobar is the next player I think to be taken off the list. He is a stellar right back and a good replacement for Anton Walkes from last year’s team. He fits Tata Martino’s style well and is always producing for the team. However, his first start on opening day was extremely shaky and he’s battled injury through a significant portion of this season. Although his impact is felt, I don’t think it’s felt as strongly as Barco or Nagbe.

Between Barco and Nagbe, I think Nagbe gets the edge as Best Newcomer on Atlanta United. Barco is extremely talented and skillful, but he too battled injury for a large part of the season. Plus, his age constantly shows, whether it’s through a lack of confidence on the pitch or “acts of indiscipline” off the pitch. Nagbe has made a huge impact on the team from the very beginning. His vision and passing abilities are always setting up the team for success, and even though he is in the midst of missing a lot of time due to injury, his impact before the injury was felt the most out of anyone.

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