Atlanta United: What if Gonzalo Martinez figures it out?

Gonzalo Martinez is beginning to find his feet at Atlanta United. Consequently, I ask the rather worrying question for everyone else: what if he figures it out?

Atlanta United have not played as well as they did in their MLS Cup-winning 2018 campaign. Miguel Almiron departed in the offseason, Frank de Boer replaced Tata Martino as the head coach, implementing a new, possession-based, slower, more defensively aware style in the process, and the team suffered as a result.

Such is their inordinate wealth of talent throughout the squad, they were still able to pick up points and victories despite the early-season growing points. On paper, this is the best squad in MLS, bar none. It just required a little fine-tuning.

And as the season has progressed, that fine-tuning has revolved around the MLS-record signing, the man who this team is meant to be built around, Gonzalo Martinez, the man to replace Almiron.

Martinez has struggled to settle into life in MLS, and in Atlanta in general. Reports of feuds with players and coaches, a noticeable friction with the North American sporting culture, and a lack of confidence and conviction in his play, Pity’s struggles culminated in being dropped from the starting XI. It was not going well.

However, over the course of the last month, starting with a game-winning performance against D.C. United in which he scored and assisted from off the bench, Martinez has started to figure this whole MLS malarkey out. And if that continues, the rest of the league could be in trouble.

Josef Martinez has been his typical self of late, scoring in 11-straight MLS matches. And Gonzalo has played a part in that. De Boer has recently shifted to a 3-4-3 system, with the two Martinez’s playing alongside one another in a central striking partnership, Ezequiel Barco then joining them in a wide position off the left flank.

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This new shape has afforded Martinez terrific attacking freedom. He is released from the normal defensive responsibility of a wide player because of the presence of a wing-back, usually Julian Gressel on the right side, and can drift into central areas knowing that the hard-nosed midfield pairing of Darlington Nagbe and Eric Remedi can protect the back three. It is a well-balanced shape that affords license for Atlanta’s most creative player. And Martinez is beginning to flourish as a result of this.

For Atlanta United as a collective unit, Martinez’s blossoming is terrific news. Such is his facilitating style, the better he plays, the better those around him play. Like the creative midfielders around the world, Martinez’s role is to provide opportunities for his teammates to flourish, namely Josef and Barco. And Atlanta are now beginning to fly as a result.

The Five Stripes moved to the top of the Eastern Conference with an impressive win in Portland at the weekend. They have now won five of their last six MLS matches, as well as a Campeones Cup victory and a U.S. Open Cup semi-final win in the midst of that.

Atlanta United — and Gonzalo Martinez in particular — are beginning to figure things out. And that spells trouble for everyone around.