Four questions with Rob Usry of Dirty Soccer South

Coming off of an important win against Inter Miami on Saturday, the Philadelphia Union hits the road this weekend to take on Eastern Conference rival Atlanta United.

We reached out to our pal Rob Usry with Dirty Soccer South ahead of this weekends contest to get some tips on the Union’s next opponent.

Rob Usry: Almada’s form has reflected Atlanta’s season so far. He got off to a tremendous start where it looked as if he’d be a top MVP candidate. His individual brilliance helped the team secure points they otherwise wouldn’t have. Then the season began being interrupted by international breaks and both the team and Thiago haven’t returned to that peak form. When he’s at his best, Almada is undoubtedly one of the best players in MLS. However, consistency has been a big problem since his arrival to the league. Perhaps it is distractions from transfer rumors constantly linking him to Europe or just the normal growth of a young player, but he has not been able to sustain that electric form that had everyone talking back in February/March.

RU: Where to begin? Frankly, the squad just isn’t up to the quality that you’d expect from Atlanta United if you’re thinking back to the 2018/19 days. There is a lot of work to do in the transfer market to give Gonzalo Pineda the tools to succeed. A lot of fans are calling for Pineda’s job, but personally, I don’t think many managers could do much better with the lackluster roster the front office has assembled. The good news for us is that there appears to be room to add to the squad this summer and Garth Lagerwey has already committed to overhauling the roster. It just may take longer than the supporters would hope for.

RU: The biggest problem, in my mind, is the midfield and it has been since the departure of Darlington Nagbe after the 2019 season. I think Philadelphia Union fans who remember the earlier battles between our two teams can see the correlation in that. When Nagbe was in the middle of Atlanta’s formation they dominated games whether it was away from home or at the Benz. Once Nagbe left, the club never was able to fill the void and have been overrun in the midfield ever since. This glaring hole is obvious when they face teams like Philadelphia with tons of quality in that area of the field. The only aspect in which they could be considered “thriving” is the production of new Designated Player Giorgos Giakoumakis. Replacing Josef Martinez seemed like an impossible task, but the front office has seemingly done it with ease. Giorgos is contributing basically a goal per game with a limited supporting cast. If they can bolster the attack and midfield to help generate chances for him it could be something special to see.

RU: Atlanta have been decimated by international absences lately and will have several key contributors missing while they play in the Gold Cup. Most notably is U.S. international and the best American centerback in the world (don’t @ me) Miles Robinson. Add in guys like Derrick Etienne Jr., Jay Fortune, and Santiago Sosa (injury) and the squad is pretty thin heading into this match. While Philadelphia are still favorites in my eyes, the only saving grace is that this match is being played in Atlanta. I think the Union get off to a hot start and snag an early goal, but the Five Stripes battle back and escape with a 1-1 draw.

Projected Lineup: GK: Guzan; RB: Lennon, CB: Purata, CB: Cobb, LB: Gutman; CDM: Ibarra, CDM: Sejdic, CAM: Almada; RW: Wolff, ST: Giakoumakis, LW: Wiley