Eales: Franco Ibarra, Thiago Almada, Ozzie Alonso could be available vs. Charlotte FC

Atlanta United president Darren Eales said that Argentine midfielders Franco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa have returned to the United States after being away from the club in recent weeks while acquiring green cards.

He added that the club is cautiously optimistic that Ozzie Alonso could be available for selection Sunday after missing last week for precautionary reasons after seeing a cardiologist. Eales even added that the club is hoping that Thiago Almada will be back by the time Atlanta United kicks off against MLS expansion club Charlotte FC Sunday at 4:30 p.m. at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The best news of all of this is with regards to Ozzie Alonso, who we all feared might be facing something serious after unexpectedly missing last weekend’s match. According to these reports from 92.9 The Game’s Mike Conti, that doesn’t appear to be the case. But the additions of Ibarra and potentially even Almada as well would be a massive boost for a team that desperately needs its best players back in the swing of things after a depleted team was beaten handily on the road in Colorado last week.

For Sosa, getting back in training will also be helpful and we hope that he’ll be able to join the team in full training as soon as he can. However, as of Atlanta United’s preseason training camp, Sosa was still doing individual work as he recovers from offseason sports hernia surgery and was still on the mend. Hopefully we’ll get a better picture on not only his timetable, but a better picture of the status of all these players in question when head coach Gonzalo Pineda speaks with media on Friday.