Atlanta United will be short five First Team players when it faces New York City FC on Saturday night, September 26, at 7:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium because of the FIFA international window. That leaves Tata Martino with a thinner group for a match that carries both immediate and broader significance for the club.
The absences add another layer to a fixture that has already developed a reputation for chaos and playoff implications. Atlanta United has shown better defensive form lately, with two consecutive road clean sheets, and that progress will now be tested against a New York City FC side in a match that could demand more depth than usual from the home team.
Who is unavailable
Atlanta United will be without Miguel Almirón, Alexey Miranchuk, Júnior Alonso, Paulo Díaz and Fafa Picault. With those five First Team players away, the club will likely need to lean on internal options to fill out the matchday roster.
That situation makes the timing of Atlanta United 2’s recent run especially important. On Sunday, Atlanta United 2 won and qualified for the MLS NEXT Pro Playoffs for the first time in club history, giving the organization another sign that its developmental group is ready to provide help when needed.
Possible short-term reinforcements
Martino said on Thursday that Daniel Chica and Cameron Dunbar were in line to join the First Team via Short-Term Agreements. He also pointed to the club’s roster depth as a reason for optimism, saying there would not be much change and that the team had already had a very good training session.
He framed the possible call-ups as temporary and said the connection between the Second Team’s system and the First Team’s approach should help with the transition. In his view, the season Atlanta United 2 has put together matters because it has helped develop players who can later be used by the First Team.
That is the practical question for Saturday night: which players will be available, and how much can Atlanta United lean on its next layer of talent? The answer may be shaped by the club’s recent defensive improvement as much as by the players who are missing. Elías Báez said the group’s work has centered on trying to keep a clean sheet, and he noted that the defensive sacrifice from everyone has shown up over the last two games.
There is also some injury context to monitor. Last Saturday, Tomás Jacob was substituted with an injury, which adds one more layer of uncertainty to a roster already affected by international duty. Still, Martino sounded confident that the group can absorb the challenge. For Atlanta United, the next step is simple: manage the absences, stay organized, and see whether the depth chart can hold up in a match that rarely feels routine.
