MARIETTA, Ga. -- After a midweek return from the World Cup break in the U.S. Open Cup, the schedule for Atlanta United gets no easier this weekend as the Five Stripes host a red-hot Portland Timbers team (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET | FOX — Full TV & Streaming info) that is unbeaten in their last eight league matches.
Atlanta are in the midst of a difficult run of fixtures. If the schedule hasn't been tough enough in the last month against the likes of NYCFC, Columbus Crew SC, and the New York Red Bulls, then matches against Portland, rivals Orlando City SC and FC Dallas will surely test Atlanta's championship aspirations.
Head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino says the team is focused, because the Timbers team that visits Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sunday is trending in the right direction.
"They've been finding their form in the league. As the season has gone on, they've been able to get some very good results lately and they're in a good moment right now," Martino said through a translator about the upcoming opponent. "They have some very good attacking players, starting with Diego Valeri, Fanendo Adi and Sebastian Blanco, and we know they are a good team on the road."
Valeri is a player that's caught Martino's eye for some time. Martino said Valeri stood out to him when he was managing Newell's Old Boys in Argentina, and tabbed his fellow Argentine as the primary threat.
"What I saw from him in the Argentine league is that he's a very intelligent player — a very cerebral player — who thinks the game well," said Martino. "He's very technical. He's a goalscorer. He arrives in good goalscoring positions. The important thing with him ... is it's important to make sure we try to cut out the balls that are getting to him. So we have to defend the other players and try to cut the service to Portland's goal scorers."
In order to deny that service, Martino will likely set up his team similarly to the way Atlanta United played last week in Columbus. There, Martino deployed his side in a 4-2-3-1, something he hadn't done from the start of a game since a home match against Sporting Kansas City in early May.
A pivotal player in Martino's side is Darlington Nagbe, a face familiar to Portland's staff and players after playing there from 2011-17. Martino said that he's asked Nagbe to change his game to facilitate the way Atlanta competes in midfield.
"When he was in Portland, they usually played with two holding midfielders, and Nagbe played more as a left winger, so his responsibilities were more attacking-minded," explained Martino. "With us, he plays as a second central midfielder very close to Jeff [Larentowicz], so his responsibilities include more recovering the ball and distribution."
To his credit, Nagbe has taken to Martino's instruction well, and he says he's a better player now.
"I see the game differently now, obviously being with Tata," said Nagbe. "Some of the things he stresses — pressing, possession, being on the front foot — I think it's made me a better player and opened my eyes more to the game."
