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Atlanta United traveled to Nashville and left Nissan Stadium with three points in their MLS opener for the first time in club history, though it came at a heavy cost with two injuries to key players.
Man of the Match: Ezequiel Barco
It looks like Frank de Boer might be needing a few more goals like the one Barco scored in the ninth minute to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead against Nashville SC going forwars. But it was vintage Barco — driving at the defense with the ball at his feet, Nashville’s defensive line backed off, giving Barco space to cut the ball onto his right foot near the top of the box and unleash a shot into the corner. With Josef Martinez’s torn ACL likely to keep him out for the rest of the season, we could be looking at a significant uptick in scoring for Barco this season. He had 8 total goals in his previous two seasons in MLS. If he remains healthy, he will blow past that number this season alone.
Player Ratings:
GK: Brad Guzan - 7.69
RWB: Brooks Lennon - 6.86
CB: Franco Escobar - 6.89
CB: Anton Walkes - 6.91
CB: Fernando Meza - 7.71
LWB: Jake Mulraney - 7.15
CM: Eric Remedi - 6.62
CM: Emerson Hyndman - 8.07
AM: Ezequiel Barco - 8.30
AM: Pity Martinez - 7.16
ST: Josef Martinez - 6.87
SUB: Laurence Wyke - 5.92
SUB: Adam Jahn- 5.68
SUB: Jeff Larentowicz- 6.48
MANAGER: Frank de Boer - 7.16