Atlanta United: Keeping the Champions together

After a championship 2018 season, the Atlanta United squad is the subject of interest from various global clubs. Keeping the Champions together will not be easy.

Keeping the same group of players together for any length of time is hard enough in any sport. Keeping the same group of championship players together is even harder.

And with transfer rumors floating around the MLS Cup Champions, Darren Eales and the rest of the Atlanta United front office have quite the challenge if they wish to keep the champs together.

Unlike most professional sports franchises, part of Eales’ strategy is to not keep the same collection of stars together for a long period of time but instead to sign players cheap and then sell them off for a large profit.

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Fans saw this system work perfectly with Newcastle United’s recent acquisition of Miguel Almirón from Atlanta. But even though selling players is a major part of Atlanta’s system, too much selling may be a cause for concern for future title hopes.

Within Atlanta’s exciting style of play, there are players that consistently provide the team with excellent form and depth week in and week out. Fans may not see these players as necessities for the squad, but they are vital for the Five Stripes’ hopes of earning even more silverware. Players like Leandro Gonzalez Pirez and Hector “Tito” Villalba have flown under the radar due to the world-class play of Josef Martinez and Almirón, but the two South Americans bring more than enough to the Atlanta United squad, and perhaps other team’s are beginning to take notice.

Both Villalba and Pirez have been the subject of recent transfer rumors, with Pirez heavily linked with Argentinian club Boca Juniors and Villalba with Mexican powerhouse Club América. Although neither of these players initially come to mind when thinking about the defending champs, they are vital pieces between the MLS regular season and CONCACAF Champions League.

The pairing of Pirez and Michael Parkhurst at the back was one of the most underrated defensive duos of the season. Atlanta’s exciting attack made fans forget how good the team was at defending, and they showed it, only allowing two goals in five matches in the playoffs. And with Parkhurst only getting older and retirement getting closer, the departure of Pirez could be fatal for one of the best defenses in the league.

Villalba, meanwhile, is one of the most exciting players in the league. He wasn’t a consistent starter for Tata Martino — and maybe won’t be with Frank De Boer — but his pace and ability coming off the bench was a defender’s worst nightmare. Imagine being asked to cover Martinez and Almirón for the majority of the match only to have someone with faster and fresher legs come off the bench for the remainder of the game.

Having someone with Villalba’s skill set on the bench proved to be massive for Atlanta in 2018, and with the 2019 CCL approaching, that talent on the sideline is vital for a team attempting to make a run at multiple trophies.

The Five Stripes have become one of the best teams in MLS over only two seasons. But with that success, there comes a price that clubs are willing to pay. And if the price is right, the Atlanta United front office will have a tough task if they want to keep the champions together.