Josef Martinez and Jacob Peterson have returned to training, and Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said Thursday that he hopes to have them back as soon as possible.
Martinez, a striker, remains the team’s leading scorer with five goals despite missing the past five games with an injured quadriceps sustained while on duty with the Venezuelan national team. Hector Villalba and Kenwyne Jones have filled in for Martinez at striker, and Martino said they have each done a good job. Villalba has four goals and Jones has two.
Peterson, a winger, has missed the past four games with an ankle injury. He has one goal this season.
The team will play at NYCFC on Sunday and at Portland next week.
Other topics Martino commented on included the suspension of Yamil Asad for a game after the MLS disciplinary committee judged him Tuesday to have acted violently in the second half of Sunday’s 3-1 loss to D.C. United. A foul was called and yellow card was issued after Asad appeared to raise his elbow and try to drive it across the face of Lloyd Sam. Martino said he had no opinion on the league’s ability to retroactively punish players because he said he hasn’t been in the league long enough.
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