Atlanta United and Frank de Boer: Real test starts now

After the 2019 season got off to as busy of a start as possible, Atlanta United now have to take full accountability as they face a favorable, MLS-focused schedule.

The 2019 season started off as hectic and busy as possible for Atlanta United, playing seven games in 24 days against some of the best competition this continent and league has to offer.

But now as things begin to calm down in the South, Frank de Boer and the defending champs have no room for excuses looking ahead in Major League Soccer. The hard work starts now.

Ask any manager, athlete, or fan in any sport and they will tell you that adjusting to a new coach is difficult, regardless of how many talented players are in the line-up. Atlanta United is no exception. When the Five Stripes started their title-defending season, there was bound to be growing pains under new manager de Boer.

And as if adjusting to a new manager and a new style of play wasn’t enough, taking away one of the best players in the league and the crux of your team in Miguel Almirón is the perfect recipe for a disastrous start.

The opening schedule didn’t help either.

Playing seven games in 24 days speaks for itself, but it’s not as if Atlanta was facing off against weaker teams. They started the season against Costa Rican giant C.S. Herediano, opened the MLS season against one of the league’s best-looking teams in D.C United, and then had to stand off against one of the best teams in the continent Monterrey. All while figuring out a new style and new players.

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But now, the Five Stripes look ahead at one of the calmest parts of the season, returning to only one match a week for five-straight weeks after getting two weeks off after drawing with the Philadelphia Union 1-1 in Mercedes Benz Stadium. The normal routines of the MLS season will soon begin to take full effect. And for Atlanta United, that means less travel, less rotation, and a greater focus on de Boer’s system in training, embedding the individual demands of the shape into each and every player.

Fans down South have endured a bumpy start to the season, and while some things have gotten hectic in the Five Stripe faithful, there is still some room for comfort. A new style with new players takes time.

But now with more than enough time and rest, the real test for the champions starts now. The pressure to perform is on.

While the fixture list is lighter and de Boer should be able to better implement his ideas, the expectation will begin to rise and patience will slowly wither. For Atlanta United, then, the time is now to pick up the pace.