PREVIEW – The form of the Revs has tailed off in the last few outings but it is the future of Josef Martinez which dominate the headlines going into this one! Atlanta have been a far cry from Tata’s MLS Cup winning side whilst New England are certainly in the mix for the silverware this year. The two will go head-to-head at the Benz on Saturday evening (GMT) as MLS action returns from a brief hiatus, both with players missing due to the Gold Cup!
Revs at Atlanta United Preview: Just how helpless are Atlanta United without Josef Martinez?
Besides maybe Chicharito Hernandez with the LA Galaxy, there aren’t any sides in the league more reliant on an individual than Atlanta United are on Josef Martinez. The forward went away with Veneuzela to Copa America but having played no role whatsoever, Gabriel Heinze is set to leave him out too. The reports are suggesting that Josef won’t feature when the Revs come to town and its’ due to nothing more than the Argentinian’s selection. So could the greatest player in the history of the Georgia side, one of the greatest scorers this league has ever seen, be on his way out?
New England @ Atlanta preview
Recent history has actually seen the Five Stripes dominate this fixture although the club has already come through a couple of very different eras despite being in its’ infancy. New England have only beaten Atlanta once and that was when they last played, goals from Brandon Bye and Carles Gil earned them the three points at Gillette Stadium back in May. Meanwhile though, five of the other seven clashes have gone Atlanta’s way as well as two draws, Josef scoring a hat-trick in a 7-0 win back in 2017 to further announce himself to the league.
A few weeks back there was a debate about who could bring a stop to the Revs’ excellent form but since beating both New York teams 3-2, they’ve gone three games without a win. A brace from Dallas academy graduate Ricardo Pepi sealed three points for Luchi Gonzalez before New England opened Lower.com Field. The Crew were ushered into their new era by coming from two goals down, Gyasi Zardes being key as strikes from Buchanan and Bou were matched. Most recently the Revs lined up against a new-look Toronto side following Chris Armas’ dismissal, a 7-1 defeat at the hands of DC was the final straw for him but in his absence, three goals in the first half hour stunned Bruce Arena’s men.
This is nothing for Atlanta to laugh about though because whilst the Revs are experiencing a blip, Josef and co have had a rather underwhelming season in truth. There have been glimpses of a very enticing vision from Heinze but overall, they’ve flattered to deceive. Atlanta’s last win came way back in May, a header at the death from Marcelino Moreno being the only goal as CF Montreal visited the Benz. Since then though they have drawn five and lost two, trips to Chicago and Nashville ending in a 3-0 loss and a 2-2 tie respectively in the last two games. Realistically, with or without Josef, that defeat to the Fire which saw Ignacio Aliseda net twice is rather embarrassing.
MLS action may have returned from the original international break but the Gold Cup is just getting started, meaning both sides are missing key players. Starting with the Revs and they will be without a key duo; Matt Turner and Tajon Buchanan. The former is the starting goalkeeper for Berhalter’s USMNT as they hope to add to their Nations League success from earlier this year whilst the latter is representing Canada. Turner has been the best goalkeeper in the division for the last eighteen months or so and Buchanan is a sure-fire future star, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a move to Europe came to fruition. Besides these two absentees though, Bruce has the bulk of his squad at his disposal.
Next, to the home side and as previously mentioned, Heinze is rumored to have left Josef out! Goals have been a struggle as it is, so to exclude your talisman seems like an odd one, could the Venezuelan be on the move? Anyhow, there is more to a squad than just one player and Josef isn’t the only missing piece. Joining Matt Turner in the goalkeeping pool for the USMNT is the experienced Brad Guzan, not to mention defenders Miles Robinson and George Bello were both called up by Gregg Berhalter too. On top of the players at the Gold Cup, Emerson Hyndman is out following his ACL tear, plus Jurgen Damm, Rossetto and Franco Ibarra are absent too.
It is a story of two teams needing to arrest their respective dips in form without some key players and it seems hard to see a win for the hosts at the Benz. There is issues throughout this team and with the triumvirate of defensive players representing the U.S.; Carles Gil, Gustavo Bou and compay having a field day going forward seems perfectly plausible. With Josef, even though he’s not his usual self, Atlanta would have a glimpse of magic on their fingertips but without him, surely the Revs will avoid making it four games in-a-row without a three-pointer!
