Atlanta United: 5 key players to watch during busy week

2. Andrew Carleton

There’s a significant chance Andrew Carleton may not see the field this week between both games. However, he is a player to keep an eye out for a few reasons. The U.S. U20 squad selection will be released on Friday, May 10. While U20 coach Tab Ramos has called up Carleton a few times before, the young homegrown hasn’t seen a lot of minutes lately with either the first team or ATL UTD 2.

It is unclear whether or not Carleton will get the call-up. In the meantime, it’s very possible that head coach Frank de Boer includes him in the squad against Toronto on Wednesday with the possibility of some minutes. De Boer could give Carleton minutes on Wednesday night under the assumption that he is leaving soon.

If Carleton doesn’t get called up on Friday, he may play an important role with the team as the matches begin to ramp up. At some point, de Boer will need to rotate the squad and Carleton may fill a few needs. With Barco gone for the U20 World Cup, he would provide depth all over the attacking front. He can slot in at any of the wing positions in place of Julian Gressel, Hector Villalba, or Pity Martinez, and can also provide depth for the central attacking midfield in place of both Pity Martinez and Darlington Nagbe.

There is something else to consider in regards to Carleton possibly seeing time on the field: Atlanta has already lost Barco to the U20 World Cup and they will also likely lose Josef Martinez, Villalba, and Pity to the Copa America tournament in late June. With so many attackers leaving the team for international duty, this may be an opportunity for Carleton to begin integrating with the team before he is absolutely needed.