Atlanta United 2021 ins and outs: Midfielders

In part two of our In’s and Out’s Series here on Dirty South Soccer, we turn our attention to midfield to determine what the chances are that given players will leave the club this offseason or be a part of Gonzalo Pineda’s squad heading into 2022.

Click here for Part I of this series covering defenders and midfielders.

Santiago Sosa

Rob: The prized signing of last offseason, it’s hard to see him going anywhere after an up-and-down year. Unless some European club out there fell in love with him and really covets him, it seems highly likely he’s back in 2022 and the club build the midfield around him. Chances of leaving: 5%

Joe: Definitely feels like he has another year of growing to do, but it was a good first full professional season from Sosa. There’s a lot of potential gain to be had here, financially speaking, for Atlanta. But it won’t happen for another year at least. Chances of leaving: 10%

Mo Adams

Rob: I struggle with Mo Adams every time his name his brought up. It’s obvious that he’s not an integral part of the squad but he still feels useful to me as a depth player who can play multiple roles without hurting your overall quality too much. He’s cheap and versatile and that’s really helpful in MLS. I think he finds his way back for another season, but who knows? Chances of leaving: 35%

Joe: It is pretty darn shocking that Adams only logged 146 minutes this season. Because to your point, it seems like he has the capability to be a certain type of regular sub. Usually when this happens, it’s for a reason. I’m not sure if it’s down to his quality this year after his hernia surgery or if there were persisting health issues. But few players who contribute so little during a season find their way back the next year. Chances of leaving: 85%

Matheus Rossetto

Rob: Oof. Talk about the conundrum. Rossetto came into his own after winning the box-to-box midfielder role in the last two months of the season. Despite him proving to be a nice complimentary piece, he still leaves a lot to be desired as far as making an impact on any given match. Considering his price tag, I think the club would welcome an offer if there are any out there. With Hyndman coming back from injury, he’s just too expensive of a role player for this league. I think they find a way to ship him out eventually. Chances of leaving: 55%

Joe: Rossetto is one of those players who you probably field offers for, but you’re also not desperate to get rid of because he really grew into his own and seemed to finally become comfortable playing in MLS. Atlanta can/should upgrade this position though, so the same amount of minutes are unlikely to be there for him next year. I’d say it’s more likely that he stays. Chances of leaving: 40%

Amar Sejdic

Rob: Cheap and decent player that helps with depth. It’s a toss-up for me. He seems like an extremely watered down version of Hyndman to me, so makes sense that he’d be one of his back-ups. Chances of leaving: 30%

Joe: I actually like Sejdic quite a bit considering that he’s a supplemental roster player. However, he’s a deep-lying midfielder that doesn’t have a huge physical presence, so he’s a bit of a tweener. I think his off-budget status actually might save his place on the team next year. Chances of leaving: 50%

Franco Ibarra

Rob: I really like Franco Ibarra’s skill set and mentality. He’s probably the team’s most intense player now that Josef has calmed in his post-injury state. Once they figure out how to use his extreme pressing ability he’s going to do big things for this club. Hard to see him leaving any time soon as it was known from the outset that he’d be a long term project. However, it must be said that project was taken on with Heinze firmly in mind. So, perhaps there’s shaky ground there? Chances of leaving: 10%

Joe: I wonder how much differently (in a good way) we’d be talking about Ibarra had his injury not occurred. He was playing quite a bit under Heinze, and just seemed like a kid who was starting to find his footing at the professional level. I’m excited about what he could offer next year. Chances of leaving: 5%

Emerson Hyndman

Rob: At this point I think everyone knows how I feel about Hyndman, his effectiveness, and his salary. But what I think doesn’t matter as it seems very clear the club rate him extremely highly. He seems destined to come back from injury and slot into the lineup next season. I just dread the first “he’s just like a new signing” quote we hear in February. Chances of leaving: 5%

Joe: Has any team ever bought a player on the transfer market straight off of an ACL tear? Seriously, I doubt it’s ever happened. Maybe a loan would be the best possible option simply to clear his contract, but that’s almost surely not happening either. If he can come back and be the player he was when he got hurt, that’d be a huge win for Atlanta. He was playing the best soccer we’d seen from him at that point. Chances of leaving: 1%

Tyler Wolff

Rob: Tyler seems like the prospect who made the most progress in 2021. While logic would tell us that he stays and continues on his current path, family tends to have a way of finding each other in MLS. It seems only a matter of time before he magically ends up in Austin somehow. No idea when, but it seems inevitable. Chances of leaving: 20%

Joe: Wolff has been the sneaky best homegrown not named George Bello. 224 MLS minutes this year is a solid foundation, and he gets praises from pretty much every coach. His work rate and versatility makes him even more useful. You are right though and I’ve thus added a “1” in front of my initial rating. Chances of leaving: 15%