Ezequiel Barco is rounding into top form for Atlanta United, leading his side to a 3-0 win over Sporting Kansas City at Children's Mercy Park.
Barco, who will now depart for national duty with Argentina U-20 for the U-20 World Cup and could miss as many as seven ATL UTD matches, had a hand in all three goals, scoring one.
Josef Martinez scored Atlanta's first goal, opportunistically tapping home a rebound following a powerful Barco shot in the 39th minute. Just after the break, Barco unleashed another shot from outside the 18-yard box, this time finding the back of the net on its own. Martinez added a second in the 76th min, a fantastic finish off a counter-attack. It was the reigning Landon Donovan MLS MVP's fourth goal of 2019.
Walking wounded, SKC were able to only name five players to their bench rather than the maximum seven. After starting the season strong, SKC are now winless in their last five matches.
Goals
- 39' - ATL - Josef Martinez | WATCH
- 47' - ATL - Ezequiel Barco | WATCH
- 76' - ATL - Josef Martinez | WATCH
Three Things
- THE BIG PICTURE: Awoken giants? That's three wins for Atlanta in their last four matches, who are now just a point below the playoff line while having played the joint-fewest games in the league.
- MOMENT OF THE MATCH: It was a heart-in-mouth moment for Atlanta fans who celebrated Martinez's goal then held their breath to see if he'd get up from the collision with Tim Melia. He did, so, all's well that ends well.
- MAN OF THE MATCH: Barco. He was the impetus behind nearly all of Atlanta's most dangerous attacks. What a departing performance for the Argentinian. Will he be able to pick up where he left off when he returns in about a month?
Up Next
- SKC: Sunday, May 12 at D.C. United (7 pm ET | FS1, MLS LIVE on DAZN in Canada)
- ATL: Wednesday, May 8 vs. Toronto FC (8 pm ET | TSN in Canada, MLS LIVE on ESPN+ in the US)
