MARIETTA, Ga. — Atlanta United’s 2019 MLS Cup playoff run is bringing back some nostalgic memories down south as the Five Stripes attempt to become the first repeat champions since the LA Galaxy in 2011 and 2012.
And it’s not just the blaring train horns and winning in Mercedes-Benz Stadium that feel familiar. There are plenty of common threads making this 2019 playoff run feel like it could come to a similarly joyous conclusion.
“Playoff Franco” is back
The most obvious similarity between Frank de Boer’s playoff team and Tata Martino’s winners last year is the resurgent form of defender Franco Escobar. He appears to have a knack for appearing in the right place at the right time, just like attacking teammates Pity Martinez and Josef Martinez.
Three of Escobar's five goals in two years with Atlanta have come in the playoffs (including his most recent in the first round against the New England Revolution) and one other in the U.S. Open Cup final against Minnesota United. He famously scored in the MLS Cup final last year against the Portland Timbers.
Nobody seems to know why Escobar pops up in these moments. Just listen to his teammates talk about it in recent days:
“He has a gift… These are the important games, and he always shows up.” - Josef Martinez
“Franco seems to pop up at weird moments and weird times, but it was a great finish [against New England], so I am not asking any questions.” - Brad Guzan
“I don’t know what the story is there. It must be a love relationship or something. I like that Escobar the most.” - Julian Gressel
Escobar is as baffled as everyone else, but his quality performances are far from random. His best moments this postseason have come in a right back role when the team switches to a back four — a shape they’d hardly put in practice over the second half of the season, but one they've increasingly utilized this October.
“I’ve been playing this position for two years with the team,” said Escobar at the team’s training facility Tuesday. “We train it during the week, and I think you’re able to see those results in the games because we train the movements and everything we want to do.”
Defensive solidity
With dynamic players like Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron, Tata Martino’s teams played some of the most attractive, get-out-of-your-seat soccer that MLS fans had ever seen, with their ability to run opponents ragged and score bundles of goals. But over the course of two seasons, they conceded plenty, too.
Martino took pragmatic steps in 2018 to make sure his side didn’t allow any cheapies in the playoffs that could seal Atlanta’s fate as the fun-yet-harmless team they’d been to that point. Remember, prior to Atlanta’s MLS Cup last season, they were known for not being able to seal the deal. And days after the team lost the Supporters' Shield on Decision Day 2018 — with a loss to Wednesday’s opponent, Toronto FC — defender Michael Parkhurst lamented: “We need to be much much better in big games if we want to have a chance to hoist [MLS Cup].” Thus, Martino shifted to a back line of five defenders and allowed his two stars players to do most of the attacking.
De Boer hasn’t had the luxury of adding defenders, with MLS Best XI defender Miles Robinson and the captain Parkhurst both dealing with injuries. Nonetheless, Atlanta has become a difficult team to score on this postseason.
“I think we are looking much more comfortable on the ball, but also in our discipline,” coach Frank de Boer said after their Conference Semifinal win over the Philadelphia Union last week. “We are recognizing those moments without the ball, when to press or when to drop deeper. I think we are growing in our strength and hopefully, I still think we can do better — playing 90 minutes of total domination. But I’m very happy with the progress that I’m seeing over the course of the season.”
Parkhurst returned to training this week, but as of Monday still needed to clear further medical testing if he is to be available vs. TFC. Whether or not he plays, his teammates say they’re fully prepared to do whatever it takes to maintain the defensive foundation they’ve built over the course of this season’s playoff run.
“Toronto's obviously been there and a lot of players are still on that team, so they want to go back to MLS Cup just as bad as we do,” Gressel said Monday. “We've got to come out and be ready for that fight and that grind again and earn our way within the game to play and to create chances. And hopefully we'll come out on top of them.”
There's one glaring difference between this year's Atlanta and last year's: This one already has proof it can win trophies.
"You can tell, especially the guys that were here last year, you can tell the experience," midseason signing Emerson Hyndman said on Tuesday. "Players like that you always want in big moments, big games. No one’s rattled. No one’s shook by where we are. I think that’s comforting for some of the guys that haven’t been there before. It gives confidence to everyone."
