Atlanta United supporters will get their first chance to see the team play under new manager Ronny Deila in Saturday’s friendly at Chattanooga. It is the first of six preseason exhibitions for the MLS club.
Deila said Atlanta United will be divided into two even teams, meaning potential regular-season starters will be scattered into both, each playing 45 minutes.
“The most important thing now is to get some minutes in our legs, to start to see it (tactics) in the visuals in game, because it’s something different from seeing them in a training,” Deila said.
Though Deila wants to win, he said it’s more important to see how the players react to situations rather than worrying about if they are winning.
“Whatever happens in the game that we are thinking about next situation, I think that’s a thing that is important for every good team that you go 1-down, OK, what happens?” he said. “Then we keep on doing the same things. We go 1-up, we keep on doing the same things.”
Here are a few more things to watch:
Tactics. The team has been working on offense to create overlaps, or numerical advantages, to produce scoring opportunities. Most of Thursday’s session was spent on those tactics.
On defense, the team has been working on defending the middle of the pitch to force opponents to go try to go around them.
“It will be about everyone,” midfielder Tristan Muyumba said. “Because if some of us is not ready to close the center (of) the field, it will open something for the opponent.”
Deila’s coaching style. First, he’s not much of a yeller. During training sessions, if something isn’t being done correctly, Deila walks and talks to the player individually rather than yelling across the pitch.
Second, Muyumba and centerback Noah Cobb said that Deila focuses on the small details and provides clear instructions to each player at each position.
“I think as a player, that’s exactly what you need,” Cobb said. “You need clarity. You need to know this is exactly what he wants me to do. And we have that so far.”
New faces. The only new players that supporters may see will be midfielder Mateusz Klich, acquired in a trade with D.C. United, striker Cayman Togashi, signed on a free transfer, and draft pick Ronan Wynne, as well as some of the Homegrown signees who are joining the team this season or next. That group includes Will Reilly and Dominik Chong Qui.
Injury updates. The team mostly is healthy. Pedro Amador trained by himself Thursday after experiencing some stiffness. Deila said they didn’t want to take any chances unnecessarily pushing Amador to train.
Muyumba said he is healthy after carrying a few injuries near the end of last season.
“The offseason gave me the time to refresh my mind, also refresh my body,” he said. “I’m in good shape. And I’m happy because, because also I try to work a lot during the offseason, and I can feel my body’s good. I can feel I’m in good shape.”
Homecoming. Noah Cobb grew up playing for Chattanooga before he signed with Atlanta United as a Homegrown signee. He said he will have at least 10 friends and family members at Finley Stadium.
“The amount of times I’ve watched games there, and watching my old coaches play for the team, because they would play for the team and coach in the academy, so it brings back a lot of memories, and it’s super special,” he said.
What you likely won’t see is Cobb playing right fullback. President Garth Lagerwey said during the offseason that the team was considering working Cobb out at the position because of the shoulder injury suffered by Brooks Lennon. Deila said Thursday that the team has enough fullbacks and that Cobb will remain as a centerback.
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