Down to one centerback after national team call-ups took away the other four, Atlanta United manager Ronny Deila said Thursday that his team actually may use three centerbacks in Saturday’s match at Cincinnati.
Derrick Williams is the only remaining centerback after Stian Gregersen (Norway), Luis Abram (Peru), Noah Cobb (U.S. U-20s) and Efrain Morales (Bolivia) were demanded by their national teams. Atlanta United had eight first-team players called up, the most of any MLS team. Others were Miguel Almiron (Paraguay), Bartosz Slisz (Poland), Jay Fortune (Trinidad & Tobago), Luke Brennan (U.S. U-20s).
The assumption was that Ronald Hernandez, who has played centerback in a two-man grouping, would slide over from fullback.
Deila tweaked that belief by saying that he might use two fullbacks as centerbacks and go with a five-man back line. It’s a formation that Atlanta United hasn’t used in its first four matches, but one that it used frequently toward the end of last season.
Those fullbacks-turned-centerbacks could be Hernandez and Matthew Edwards, with Brooks Lennon and Pedro Amador playing as wingbacks. Or Lennon and Amador could become centerbacks, with Saba Lobjanidze and Xande Silva playing as wingbacks.
“It’s most important that we are aware of what we can do inside the games, also not only how we start, but also how we can adapt inside the games,” Deila said. “And I think we are ready for that.”
What Deila wants to see is the team giving up fewer chances in the second halves of matches. He said the team is surrendering too many. It gave up a goal in the 88th minute to lose to Miami 2-1 last week. It almost lost to Montreal in the season opener because he said they gave up too many late chances.
It’s not all on the defense. He said the offense needs to be consistent for 90 minutes, too.
“We concede eight goal chances against Miami,” he said. “That’s way too much, and that’s because we lose the ball in the easy situations. I sit afterward and think we should have something after this game. So that’s the frustration for me. I need to be impatient/patient. And that is very difficult sometimes.”
Other updates. Midfielder Mateusz Klich should be available for Saturday’s match. He missed the last match because of a quad injury. He will be needed because Slisz and Fortune will be missing. Striker Jamal Thiare (quadriceps) and winger Edwin Mosquera (ankle) likely will be out several weeks, Deila said. Mosquera suffered his injury in the final seconds of the Miami match.
Centerback and former Atlanta United player Miles Robinson returned to Cincinnati’s training Thursday. Striker Kevin Denkey (Togo) will not be available.
Referees. Rosendo Mendoza will be the referee Saturday. He will be assisted by Oscar Mitchell-Carvalho and Mike Nickerson, with Matthew Corrigan as the fourth official, Jose Carlos Rivero as the VAR, and Craig Lowry as the AVAR.
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Atlanta United’s 2025 schedule
Feb. 22 Atlanta United 3, Montreal 2
March 1 Charlotte 2, Atlanta United 0
March 8 Atlanta United 0, New York Red Bulls 0
March 16 Miami 2, Atlanta United 1
March 22 at Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m., Apple
March 29 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m., Apple
April 5 vs. Dallas, 7:30 p.m., Apple
April 12 vs. New England, 2:30 p.m., Apple, Fox
April 19 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., Apple
April 26 at Orlando, 7 p.m., Apple, Fox
May 3 vs. Nashville, 2:30 p.m., Apple, Fox
May 10 at Chicago, 2:30 p.m., Apple
May 14 at Austin, 8:30 p.m., Apple
May 17 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 25 vs. Cincinnati, 7 p.m., Apple
May 28 vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 31 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 12 at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 25 at Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 28 at Miami, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 5 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 16 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Apple, FS1
July 19 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 26 vs. Seattle, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 30 vs. Necaxa, Leagues Cup
Aug. 2. vs. Pumas in Orlando, Leagues Cup
Aug. 6 vs. Atlas, Leagues Cup
Aug. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 16 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 24 vs. Toronto, 5 p.m., Apple
Aug. 30 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. Apple
Sept. 13 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 20 vs. San Diego, 4:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 27 at New England, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 5 at LAFC, 10:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 18 vs. D.C. United, 6 p.m., Apple
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