Off the heels of a home loss to Inter Miami, Atlanta United isn't slowing down in their pursuit of a final playoff spot. While there's still a chance, there is still hope, especially for a club with a history of late comebacks.
The 5-Stripes can't get eliminated regardless of result Saturday night when they face Chicago Fire, but they'll almost certainly need three points to keep the dream alive. For Saturday night's 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff, head coach Tata Martino and his side are working away at their attacking instincts and overall chemistry.
As the team prepares for another match in front of the 17s at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, a place where they're looking to right their wrongs in terms of recent form, it was the midfield that got the spotlight during the week. Cooper Sanchez and Mauricio Amaro spoke to media Tuesday about their journeys to getting playing time.
Two young midfielders chase minutes
Cooper Sanchez's rise to early success is nothing new for 17s this year. The 18-year-old midfielder started eight of the first 10 matches of the season and has racked up 22 starts under Tata Martino this season.
The young American received more flowers for his breakout season this week, being named to MLS' 2026 22 Under 22 list.
"Obviously, [it’s] a great accomplishment for me, but I think it comes as an opportunity that I was given this year to play a lot and have the trust of the coaching staff and all my teammates around me," Sanchez said. "Without them, it wasn't possible. It’s a really good step, and it's just the start."
But the arrival of new midfield signings from the summer window has added depth, making minutes even more of a challenge to acquire. Sanchez isn't shying away from that challenge.
"That's football," he said. "I need to come in and fight for my spot on the team every single day. That's what I'm going to continue to do until the day we end the season."
Mauricio Amaro, one of those summer acquisitions, is getting familiar with MLS' heavy-transition play and learning what living in a new country is like all the same.
The Uruguayan U-22 initiative signing has a bright future, but he's taking his improvement day by day, training by training. He's surrounded by veterans like Tristan Muyumba and Giuliano Galoppo and Homegrowns like Sanchez, Jay Fortune and Will Reilly in the midfield. It's a great mix of guys to learn from, whether he needs tactical advice or to better understand the identity of the club and Atlanta as a whole.
Amaro has been the default starter at the defensive midfield position since he ramped up to fitness with the 5-Stripes and could once against play an important role against the Fire.
"I feel comfortable being here, honestly," Amaro said in Spanish Tuesday. "I feel like I'm improving, and I think I still have a lot of improving to do."
Key matchups in a challenge against Chicago
Martino was appreciative to have a full week to train for one opponent with his full squad, something that's been a rarity for Atlanta United in the back half of the 2026 season.
"In some ways it was a different week in that sense," Martino said in Spanish Thursday. "We even did the Chicago match preparation today, precisely so that yesterday we could correct some issues related to the team's functioning. We value being able to have a long week with this roster because, since we've had a complete roster, there have certainly been few."
Robert Lewandowski is certainly the headline for the Chicago Fire. The star Polish striker joined the Windy City club over the summer and has tallied 10 goal contributions in 15 appearances. He brings over 700 total career goals to the table with illustrious stinst at Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona behind him.
The job of marking Lewandowksi isn't just for defenders. The midfielders, especially Amaro in the holding role, will have just as much influence in interrupting his day.
"The whole team has to be on top of him," Amaro said. "They have to be marking him closely."
In their backline, the Fire have a young defensive stalwart in Mbekezeli Mbokazi, who was recently named to the same U-22 list as Sanchez. He'll have a physical matchup with an experienced Breel Embolo, who growing more familiar with Martino's system by the match.
With a squad now mostly comprised of either new arrivals or young talents, Martino and his side are learning valuable lessons in chemistry creation. Miranchuk is optimisitc that process will get quicker and quicker.
"Quality players coming in, between the players, you need less [time to] understand each other, because you think the same way," Miranchuk said Thursday.
