The Offseason So Far: Backline reinforcements, splashing TAM, private jets, and dropping guap on one of the world's best teenagers. They even inked a US Open Cup hero for the culture.
At this point it's impossible to look at their roster and say "this one particular thing is what they need," and yet it still seems certain they're about to go out and shatter the MLS transfer record to sign Ezequiel Barco.
The Five Stripes just keep leveling up.
"Tata" Martino | via atlutd.com
My only real concern is "Will Tata play the kids?" – Andrew Carleton, Brandon Vazquez, Miles Robinson and Chris Goslin in particular – but that's more of a USMNT-centric view. As a neutral looking at what this group did last year and what it could mean for 2018 ... 65 points does not seem unreasonable at all.
Unless, that is, somebody comes in and makes an obscene offer from Miguel Almiron or Josef Martinez. Both have made it clear they want to stay, but this is a business and everybody's got a price. Feel free to hold your breath until February 1, ATLiens.
JAN. 2 UPDATE: Feel free to keep holding your breath until February 1, ATLiens. Especially since the Barco saga has become something in the neighborhood of farcical over the last few weeks.
Either way they've got most of their offseason work done already.
JAN. 24 UPDATE: They got Barco. They're keeping Almiron and Martinez. Carlos Carmona's not going anywhere, apparently. They picked a couple of fun attackers in the draft. Tata's challenging Carleton to go out there and win minutes.
They could stand to add another right back and I maintain at least a little bit of worry about their ability to win the ball in central midfield, but come on. This is, at worst, the third-best team in the league right now. Atlanta invented high expectations in Year 2.
