Atlanta United preview: Five questions with goalkeeper Brad Guzan

Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan answers five important questions about the MLS team:

Q: Is this team ready for its first game?

A: Ready or not, game’s coming. So we’ll be ready.

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Q: What have been the good things about the preseason?

A: I think just overall in terms of understanding what’s been asked from the coaching staff, patterns of play, ideas, the cohesiveness has certainly shown through at different points, which is certainly a positive.

Q: What’s still under construction?

A: Everything is. It’s the first game of a long season ahead. And so there’s going to be moments when it’s helter-skelter, and it’s crazy and it’s chaotic. There’s going to be moments that hopefully it looks like we’ve been training for the last six months. But, yeah, there’s going to be times when we need to be able to weather a storm here, there, and they’re entitled to have the ball as well. And so, you know, it should be good.

Q: You’re a big believer in intensity and coming out with intensity and starting games on the right foot. Do you see that from this group of players, that they’re capable and wanting to do that?

A: Yeah. There’s probably a difference in terms of understanding from what you guys interpret as intensity is, in what we’re doing on the field.

You know, going back to the other day, I saw some of your tweets. And, you know, I would disagree with how you labeled the start of the game for us. In those moments, any team is allowed to have the ball, any team is just as good and able to attack and create problems for us. That’s their job.

And so, intensity doesn’t mean just rah, rah, rah and run around like chickens with our heads cut off. It’s being smart when we’re pressing, how we’re pressing, where we’re winning the ball back. And so, yeah, it’s certainly important to have intensity, it’s certainly important to have a good start to the game. But you know, we have to do it in an intelligent way.

Q: Do you want to be captain again?

A: For me, it’s not about one captain, it’s about leaders on the field. You need guys all over the field to take up ownership of what’s happening. You need guys directing traffic being commanding, helping other guys around them. You know, with or without an armband?

I do that. That’s my personality. That’s part of the position as a goalkeeper, you see the entire field. So you know, regardless, that’s how I play.

I think we have a few guys on our team that that have taken up that leadership, but they’ve certainly taken more accountability, which is good because we need that. And we need more guys on the field that are doing that.

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Atlanta United’s 2022 MLS schedule

Feb. 27 vs. Sporting KC, 3 p.m., FS1

March 5 at Colorado, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE