ORLANDO, Fla. — The day before Atlanta United’s U.S. Open Cup semifinal at Orlando City, manager Frank de Boer received just about the worst news imaginable: Josef Martínez was injured. Martínez strained his adductor during Monday’s training session, forcing de Boer and Atlanta to adapt on the fly without their vocal leader and goal-scoring powerhouse.
How does a team cope with the sudden unavailability of its most irreplaceable player? De Boer started Ezequiel Barco and Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez up top in a 3-5-2. Emerson Hyndman returned to the starting XI and joined Eric Remedi and Darlington Nagbe in midfield.
It all worked out. Remedi and Hyndman scored, and Atlanta advanced to the final with a 2-0 victory.
After the win, de Boer told reporters he had delivered a “next man up” speech to his players within the past week. He did not expect the team’s mentality in that regard to be tested so quickly.
“I said five days before the game or after the Galaxy [game], we are now with this team, with this roster,” the manager explained. “You have to be ready because in one day the whole thing can change. Somebody can get an injury or suspended, and you will have to step in.
“Unfortunately, it happened quite quickly and somebody had to step in. You know it’s like this in a tough season. You won’t play with 12, 13 players. You need 17, 18. When we have good depth, they make the difference if you are going to be champions at the end of the season.”
Hyndman, who sealed the victory with his 78th-minute goal, said “it was a team performance. A lot of hard work out there, particularly in the second half.” Remedi opened the scoring in the 37th. He said Atlanta’s makeshift front two opened up space for the rest of the team.
“It seemed like they were worried about man-marking Pity and Barco, so that gave the midfielders a whole lot of space to run toward,” Remedi said through an interpreter.
De Boer said Josef Martínez picked up the strain during a corner routine in training. The striker went up to head a ball and felt a “pop” when he landed. Josef Martínez scored on the play, but a scan revealed he sustained a “second-degree injury.” De Boer described the Venezuela international as “day-to-day.” Josef Martínez likely will miss Atlanta’s Sunday home game against New York City FC, which will play a big factor in the final Easter Conference standings.
“It’s a muscle that normally recovers quite quick, but still we have to be careful because the season is still long,” de Boer said.
Atlanta will be careful, but Josef Martínez already is champing at the bit for his return to action.
“We know Josef, he is not happy, that’s for sure,” de Boer said. “It’s nice to see. He’s eager to come back as quick as possible. We have to sometimes push him a little bit back because he’s really eager to step in the next game. We’re going to make a good decision with him and of course with the medical staff to step in at the right moment.”
Andrew Carleton returns
Andrew Carleton, Atlanta’s first homegrown signing, has had a rough go in 2019. Still waiting for his breakthrough with the team, Carleton has seen few minutes as de Boer has criticized the player’s professionalism. Before Tuesday, he had not played with Atlanta’s senior team since the U.S. Open Cup round-of-16 win at the Columbus Crew on June 18. Carleton’s last MLS appearance came March 30 at Columbus.
The 19-year-old played the final 40 minutes plus stoppage time against Orlando. Carleton did not make a direct impact on the scoresheet, but he displayed his skills on the ball and completed some nice passes to help relieve pressure. He brought the necessary energy to pester Orlando when Atlanta lost possession.
“He was a lot of times with the USL [recently],” de Boer said. “I think with his age you have to play games. He’s doing well, he’s performing well and then you get rewarded. He has to understand that. You have to work very hard every time at training, also when you’re playing with the USL, and then you get rewarded like this. Hopefully he understands it.
“I think he did well and he worked very hard. This is the Carleton we want to see.”
Atlanta shows the right mentality
Atlanta has lacked focus and concentration away from home this season, and it has shown with a 3-8-0 road record in MLS competition. De Boer and his players discussed the problem Monday, acknowledging the mentality has to be better.
Tuesday night, focus and concentration was not an issue.
“Everybody was involved today, played really well and concentrated,” de Boer said of his team’s performance in Orlando. “This is what I want to see.”
Remedi said the team may be rounding into form and that in the past week, it has taken the same mindset that won an MLS Cup.
“You see it,” the midfielder told reporters. “The last two games, if you’ve noticed, it matches the intensity of the playoff games last year. The focus has been to maintain our focus and not lose our concentration. The intensity we matched against Galaxy and tonight is similar to the intensity in the playoff games last season.”