Staying on track: Atlanta United’s home side stepped up in absence of experienced starters

When Noah Cobb was subbed off during Atlanta United’s match against Nashville SC on May 18, the young defender didn’t want to leave the field. He started the match, fought physically, responded to the call to score Hany Mukhtar and injured his ankle.

After all that, Cobb still didn’t want to leave the field.

For head coach Gonzalo Pineda, this moment reflects a mentality he wants to see in his team:

“He’s limping, he’s a little sore, but I’m a little emotional today because the 18-year-old kid, you can see it doesn’t look good and the kid is upset because he had to come out and he says, ‘Coach, give me some time maybe I’ll come back. It just shows the passion and the will of this team to try to win, to try to compete and to help the team. team.

Cobb is one of several young players who have been asked to play significant time during the first third of Atlanta United’s season. Five Atlanta United homegrown players, or club-developed players, have logged minutes in MLS this season: Cobb, Caleb Wiley, Efraín Morales, Jay Fortune and Tyler Wolff. Five ranks fifth in MLS.

Together, this group has propelled Atlanta United to eighth in MLS in minutes played by club-developed players in 2024 (2,724.5 minutes).

The most minutes have been accumulated by Wiley, who has become a regular starter since making his MLS debut for Pineda at the start of the 2022 season. The 19-year-old has logged 1,075 minutes in MLS this season and has started every matches in which he participated.

The average of these five players is just under 20 years old. It may not be ideal to have so many young players in action for the club, but injuries to several starters have forced Pineda to look further down his bench. Norwegian international Stian Gregersen has missed almost six weeks due to meniscus surgery. Thiago Almada is out with a calf injury. Xande Silva also missed time due to injury, which created an opportunity for Tyler Wolff.

With Gregersen, the team is still without the other central defender who started the season. Derrick Williams is recovering from a calf injury. So, for much of the season, Atlanta United found itself without its main central defender.

These two injuries opened up two defensive positions, occupied by Cobb and Efraín Morales. Morales started the game against Chicago Fire on the road on April 27, which marked his MLS debut.

As we learned with Noah Cobb a few weeks ago, minutes played is one of the most positive indicators of success for young players. (For reference, Cobb ranks top 15 in the world in minutes played for center backs aged 19 or younger.)

So while it may not be best for Atlanta United to rely so heavily on its youth at the start of the season – ideally, Gregersen, Williams and Luis Abram would get the majority of starts at central defense – the club has had some options in their absence. And these options have been players who have followed the club’s path to the pros.

And their youthful energy and passion for getting on the pitch helped the team’s mentality during a string of underachieving results:

“First, I think the best answer I get is what Efrain Morales told us after his debut: he loves Atlanta and he will do whatever he needs or can to make Atlanta a success. And I think that’s what kids bring. Normally in any club, the kids from the academy and the kids from the second team bring that passion, that energy, that heart play and all those things. This is very important to always remember. No matter how many years you have as a professional, you must have this kind of passion. That’s what they bring.