What Will Atlanta United Do Without Thiago Almada in Their First Playoff Match?

“A stupid foul…he kicked a defender, a stupid second yellow card,” Atlanta United’s head coach Gonzalo Pineda lamented after Atlanta United’s 2-2 draw vs F.C. Cincinnati. Playmaker Thiago Almada was sent off with a second yellow in the Decision Day match, which means he’ll now miss the first match of Atlanta’s playoff run against Columbus Crew.

The frustration lies more in the timing of the suspension, rather than the suspension itself. Almada has never been a rough player, and certainly not one with a propensity to be completely sent off. Ultimately, though, this mistake couldn’t have come at a worse time and will certainly leave Gonzalo Pineda and the coaching staff with their nose to a ton of film over the next week to determine how best to implement a dangerous attack without the number one playmaker in the league.

Interestingly, a Scarves and Spikes poll on Twitter/X showed fans overwhelmingly think a formational switch may be the secret to success against a Columbus Crew side that loves to possess the ball and frustrate opposing teams. Out of 189 votes, 61.9% said they’d like to see a three center back line up – Miles Robinson, Juanjo Purata, and Luis Abram – that has most of the attack coming from the wings but with dual strikers up front via the two big guys, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Jamal Thiaré. Saba Lobjanidze or Xande Silva could also see time higher up the pitch. This would help balance the team in a more defensive shape, though it inevitably forces Saba and Xande – two of the better playmakers – either out of position or not on the pitch at all.

31.2% said in the poll they’d stick with the same 4-2-3-1 without Almada. In this case, there are simply no like-for-like subs for Almada, but Tristan Muyumba could play the pseudo-1o spot with Matheus Rossetto behind him, and likely Jay Fortune (or possibly Ozzie Alonso) as the defensive midfielder. This would leave Xande, Saba, and Giakoumakis on the pitch, which keeps a lot of consistency, and Muyumba isn’t exactly a pushover when it comes to playing in some beautifully accurate balls to the box. However, this is definitely a huge risk considering Atlanta’s almost inevitable concession of a goal or two during a match. The defense already struggles at times, so changing the whole spine of the team through the middle also seems dicey.

An alternative to that version of the normal 4-2-3-1 would involve keeping Muyumba as the central midfielder and Rossetto as the defensive mid, and moving either Saba or Xande centrally as the 10. Xande seems to perhaps be the favorite here as he tends to favor drifting inside and seems a bit more comfortable in the tight spaces in midfield. One of them would then simply be replaced by Edwin Mosquera or Derrick Etienne, who can both play either left or right wing.

Anything different than some variation of these two would be yet another huge risk, because it’s very unclear whether the team has drilled and trained any other tactics. A classic 4-3-3 could be possible, with the central three consisting of Muyumba, Rossetto, and Mosquera/Fortune/Ozzie as more of a rotating triangle, with the top finished off by Giakoumakis, Xande, and Saba.

This playoff series against Columbus was never going to be an easy one, and Almada’s suspension definitely doesn’t do the team any favors, but Atlanta United is still leaps and bounds better than they were earlier in the season when they got shellacked 6-1 by the Crew. The fight they showed while down a man for almost an entire half against FC Cincinnati to keep the 2-2 draw is encouraging. And while speaking of the bright side, Wilfried Nancy and his coaching staff don’t have a ton of film to review when Atlanta doesn’t have Almada pulling the strings, so they may very well be in the dark come game time on November 1st.

Be sure to tune in to our channel and show Tuesday at 7 to as we chat about how this could all play out for Atlanta United. We’ll also be getting some insight from MLS and Apple TV’s very own Miguel Gallardo, so set your reminder and come hang out with us!