Good morning! Sydney here with this edition of the Scarves and Spikes Daily newsletter. Follow me on X, BSky, IG, and Threads.
With Mauricio Amaro in the fold for Atlanta United, the club becomes that much better. Nowhere near “MLS Cup contender” or “playoff team” better, but better as a whole. Amaro represents a piece of the puzzle that has sat empty since Bartek Slisz’s departure for Europe.
Amaro has several things working for him. He’s 21, is highly rated among players of his age at his position, and seems to be improving in key areas as he gets older. Here are his metrics from Best 11 Scouting:
He won’t be confused with prime Rodri with those numbers, but there’s definitely some green in key areas, like dribble success, progressive carries, defensive actions, and aerial dual winning percentage. The blue, possession-adjusted tackles and intereceptions per 90 minutes, is the real one that stands out.
Here’s the caveat, though. First-division Uruguayan football is much different than Major League Soccer, and while that’s not a bad thing at face value, the quality of football in MLS is at a higher level. That’s going to be an adjustment for a 21-year-old moving to a new country, surrounded by people speaking a language he doesn’t understand. And that’s off the pitch. On the pitch, I do suspect that the learning curve is a little less steep for a non-attacking player, which benefits Amaro. Can Tata Martino capitalize on the youngster’s strengths and help develop him into a valuable contributor?
One last thing. It is worth noting that Jay Fortune is in a contract year. Given Fortune has expressed his desire to remain in Atlanta for life, and that Cooper Sanchez has proven himself at the MLS level, one would hope that this isn’t another instance of the club signing a player that blocks the path of others already in the pipeline. We’ll see.
Tyler and I gave our thoughts on the Amaro signing; click here to watch that video on YouTube now. (While you’re there, be sure to hit the like button and subscribe to our channel; we’re getting close to 2,000!
Speaking of Cooper Sanchez…
Sanchez started for the United States U-19 team in the Concacaf U-20 semifinals against Costa Rica, with the U.S. picking up a 2-0 win yesterday to advance to Sunday’s final. They’ll face host Mexico, which defeated Canada 2-1. Both teams are already in the 2027 U-20 World Cup set to be held in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, but the U.S. will be looking to end this particular tournament on top for the fourth time in five tries.
More Leagues Cup action tonight
Five more matches this evening: Orlando City vs. León at 6:30, Inter Miami vs. Monterrey at 8, Chivas vs. FC Dallas in San Jose at 9, Real Salt Lake vs. Atlante at 10, and Toluca vs. LAFC at 11:10.
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That’s it for now. See you in the next one.