Availability report and match preview: Depth challenged as Atlanta United heads up to New England

When they kick off against New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 25, Atlanta United will be digging deep. The match will be the third Atlanta United has played in eight days. With his side coming off a taxing comeback draw and playing in their third consecutive road match, head coach Tata Martino hinted Friday that he may be choosing consistency over freshness. 

Availability for Saturday a test of fitness

Three matches in a little more than a week is already a tight squeeze, but with injuries and suspensions on the horizon, the 5-Stripes are lean in terms of available options.

The club's availability report Friday listed four players who won't be eligible for selection come the New England match. Jay Fortune and Sergio Santos continue to work on hamstring and calf knocks, respectively. 

Aside from injuries, Tomás Jacob's fifth yellow card against Charlotte sees him suspended for one match, and new signing Paulo Díaz is still sorting through visa logistics.

2s talent is coming to support

Amid depth concerns, Martino joked he's not quite ready to get out on the pitch himself, saying he'd need a five-year preseason to be fit. He did, though, express confidence in his squad to put in a shift despite their recent usage.

Martino said Friday afternoon that it's likely the same midfield trio of Tristan Muyumba, Will Reilly and Cooper Sanchez will start. With Reilly playing most of the Nashville match in place of Fortune, another start for those three would be asking them to play over 200 minutes each in eight days.

Still, Martino is looking down the squad with belief. Homegrown 17-year-old midfielder Ignacio Suarez-Couri made his First Team debut Wednesday night in a brief stint, and he might be needed for even more time Saturday night. 

The 18-year-old Sanchez, who has played with Suarez-Couri since U-12, is thrilled to seen even younger talent make waves in the First Team.

"I've known him for a long time," Sanchez said. "We've both come up the same way. It's obviously great to see players that are now younger than me, because I've always been the youngest, are coming on trips and getting into games. He's worked for it. He's a great kid, he's humble and works hard."

Defender Toto Majub and forward Arif Kovac also signed Short-Term Agreements earlier this week, bringing an injection of Atlanta United 2 players into a First Team that could really use the depth. The two are still looking to make their debuts at the MLS level. 

Taking new faces and new learnings to New England

According to Sanchez and other players, Martino's halftime speech against Charlotte Wednesday night wasn't one of fury. Instead, El Profe calmly insisted that his players still had a chance to earn a result. They did just that in the second half, and that confidence in the face of pressure will be just as critical Saturday night. 

Sanchez's role in the second half, where he pressed less and dropped back in buildup more was a big part of that effort.

"Already being in that position and already facing forward allows me to see the game more and pick out those longer-range passes," Sanchez said.

Against New England, who sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta United find a side who defeated them in the reverse fixture 2-1 back on April 22. It was a match the 5-Stripes can certainly take positives from — Fafa Picault's opener and the width he provided for one. But, as just about every Atlanta United player and coach have preached, what matters is the result. 

Three months and some change later, new faces have entered the fold. Júnior Alonso got his work started against Charlotte and very well may anchor the back line again for Atlanta United on Saturday. 

"He's serious," Martino said of the Paraguayan summer signing. "He's very solid. He helped us in the buildup, so he's doing very well."

Alonso and Co. will probably have to deal with Carles Gil, an attacker who has a history of success against the 5-Stripes with 11 goal contributions. Gil assisted the equalizer in the April matchup, but even New England head coach Marko Mitrović admitted Saturday night's match will be a different affair than earlier in the year. 

Martino and his staff will have the squad ready, but like at Charlotte, flexibility will be massive in securing another road result. 

"We have different way of playing based off different things we worked on in training sessions," Martino said. "So, even [with] the initial idea that we give the team in the pregame talk, if something different arises during a match, then we have alternatives that the players are able to adjust and make the decisions that we need in in the game."