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It was quite the day for Atlanta yesterday where ... um... absolutely nothing happened.
The most exciting thing to come from the team, was another look at Barco’s first goal with the club.
He's just getting started. pic.twitter.com/11HTqIM3wm
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) February 23, 2018
Oh and there were penguins at the facility just training to be in form come time Atlanta travels to snowy Minnesota again.
The penguins are gearing up for the start of the season ⚫️
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) February 22, 2018
Join us at @GeorgiaAquarium: https://t.co/I3CPsf4wB6 pic.twitter.com/ZJciNahqrY
Anyways it wasn’t as quiet around the rest of MLS.
So now, onto the Dirt
Domestic
Kellyn Acosta Undergoes surgery, out six-eight weeks
Acosta had successful surgery to repair a sports hernia which will keep him out for roughly 6-8 weeks. He will miss FC Dallas’ second-leg Champions League game and the first bit of their regular season.
For more details and some thoughts from the FCD crowd, head on over to Big D Soccer.
The Loons adding a young Brazilian Midfielder?
Defensive Midfielder Luiz Fernando joins Minnesota on loan for the 2018 season, with an option to buy. He does bring some promise as the 22 year old was voted “Best Defensive Midfielder” in all the Slovakian leagues.
The biggest issue and thing to watch will be how he recovers from his torn ACL in the summer of the 2017 season.
Can he be a difference maker to a team that allowed the most goals last season (70)?
International
Michy Batshuayi Receives Racist remarks from Atalanta supporters
Batshuayi, the attacking loanee from Chelsea, posted on twitter that he had received racist remarks from Atalanta supporters who reportedly made monkey noises.
2018 and still racists monkey noises in the stands ... really ?! ♂️ hope you have fun watching the rest of @EuropaLeague on TV while we are through #SayNoToRacism #GoWatchBlackPanther ✌
— Michy Batshuayi (@mbatshuayi) February 22, 2018
It’s sad to hear about this (racism) going on still in today’s soccer but it’s not entirely surprising, especially for it to be coming from the Italian league.
It’ll be interesting to see how far UEFA and/or FIFA investigates this and if they’ll do anything more to try and counter this, rather than slap a band-aid on it like they have been.
Other Links to check out:
Policeman Dies of Heart Attack as Spartak Moscow, Athletic Bilbao Fans Clash
Ruben Semedo Charged with Attempted Murder; Agent Says Semedo Is the Victim
Landon Donovan: On His Return With León, U.S. Soccer’s Present and USMNT’s Future