After their historic win over Club América on Tuesday, Nashville SC are right back to it on Saturday, heading to Atlanta for a rivalry match against the Five Stripes.
For the latest on Atlanta United, we checked in with Sydney Hunte of Scarves And Spikes.
Atlanta United coverage from Scarves and Spikes
Ben Wright (SixOneFive Soccer): It doesn't seem like the Tata Martino return has gone according to plan. What's gone wrong so far? Are there any signs of life?
Sydney Hunte (Scarves And Spikes): The short answer is that much has gone wrong!
The DPs (we'll discuss them in a second) haven't produced. The defense is inconsistent. This team looks lost in the attack. I believe Martino might eventually get more from this group, but it's hard to see right now.
That said, they beat Chattanooga FC in the U.S. Open Cup, so that counts for something. The question is whether it can spark something in the locker room that allows them to play a bit more freely. A couple of players (Matías Galarza, Cooper Sanchez) have stood out, so not all is lost.
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BW: Similarly, how have Atlanta's high-profile players performed? Looking at the stats, Emmanuel Latte Lath, Miguel Almirón, and Alexey Miranchuk haven't really stood out. What's the deeper story here?
SH: My biggest fear is that Emmanuel Latte Lath just doesn't fit the profile of an MLS striker. When he does get service, he's wasteful and lacks confidence. Outside of that, he's been relatively anonymous and has failed to impact matches.
Considering what Atlanta United paid to get him from the Championship in the first place, it's very troubling and may force the club into a serious discussion about his future with the club.
Miguel Almirón simply isn't the player he was in 2017 and 2018, not that he was ever going to be in the first place. We'll occasionally see some flashes from him and think, "this could be something," but he just hasn't been able to produce the final product. The most troubling part is that he was the fourth-highest paid player in MLS in 2025. For $7.87 million, three assists aren't nearly good enough.
Alexey Miranchuk has scored four goals in six matches, which is good, but his job isn't to be your primary goalscorer. I do think he's been marginally better under Martino, however.
Ultimately, it's a DP league, and the total contribution from Atlanta's DPs has been very disappointing.
