Atlanta United: 5 things we learned from Cincinnati, San Jose wins

Atlanta United picked up all six points as they push for the top spot in the Eastern Conference. See what we learned from this week’s busy slate.

Atlanta United defeated both FC Cincinnati and the San Jose Earthquakes in an important six-point week. The Five Stripes are in contention for the top seed in the East and the home-field advantage that comes with it. Getting all six points was a major step in achieving that goal.

Atlanta defeated Cincinnati on Wednesday night 2-0 thanks to a Josef Martinez brace and yet another Brad Guzan clean sheet. It was Guzan’s 14th clean sheet of the season, bringing him just two shy of the MLS record. Meanwhile, Martinez scored in his 15th consecutive game, an extension of that record, while bringing his single-season tally up to 26, just two behind league-leader, Carlos Vela.

On Saturday, the Five Stripes hosted San Jose in yet another exciting match between these clubs. Atlanta won 3-1 in a match that featured multiple red cards and multiple stoppage-time goals. Last year, Atlanta won 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller at Avaya Stadium. In 2017, Atlanta won in a six-goal rip-roarer at Bobby Dodd Stadium, 4-2. This year’s match was hardly any different.

Atlanta faced two incredibly different opponents that required two entirely different game plans. Each match required a different kind of will to win, yet they did what they had to do to keep their season goals alive and well.

See what we learned from a busy week of important results for Atlanta United.

5. Continued streak, temporarily

In perhaps the biggest news of the week, Josef Martinez picked up an injury during Saturday’s contest against San Jose. The injury has huge implications for Atlanta and their final three games heading into the postseason. Following the weekend’s action, Atlanta still sit in second thanks to some helpful results (NYCFC draw, Philadelphia loss), but with no Martinez, it might now be difficult to take advantage.

Before the injury, Martinez scored two more goals on Wednesday night, giving him 15 straight games with a goal. That streak ended on Saturday when he was substituted because of injury in the 79th minute. The 15-game streak is extremely impressive on Martinez’s end and his individual effort will go down as one of the best, if not the best, in MLS history.

During that span of 15 games, Martinez scored a total of 21 goals, bringing him up to 26 on the season, just two shy of Carlos Vela’s league-leading 28 goals at the time. Martinez, the defending Golden Boot winner, was making this year’s race very interesting before his untimely injury. His 15-game consecutive scoring streak is also the second-longest worldwide.

Atlanta will miss their talisman in the final weeks of the regular season. His goal-scoring prowess is nearly out of this world and his absence will surely be felt.