How do you turn a group of players from across the league into a team to face Juventus in just two days? Jeff Carlisle got the inside story.
MARIETTA, Ga. — It’s Monday morning at Atlanta United’s training facility and players comprising the MLS All-Star squad are making their way into one of the building’s meeting rooms.
For players from the host club, this is a day like any other; they are at home. However, there’s some visible fatigue on the faces of those who flew long distances to be here.
In front of a large video screen stands Atlanta United manager Tata Martino. For the next few days, he will have the tricky task of coaching a thrown-together group of players in preparation to face Italian giants Juventus in the 2018 MLS All-Star Game.
On the one hand, the game is an exhibition with no bearing at all on standings or the playoff games that lie ahead. Indeed, in some ways only bad things — injuries, specifically — can happen. Yet the occasion is also a showcase for MLS and a chance for league executives, team owners, sponsors, potential investors and the like to meet, talk and network.
As such, there is a strong desire for everyone connected to the league to see the All-Stars to do well, even though the makeshift nature of the squad and unlimited substitutions can make achieving any semblance of rhythm difficult.
« The last thing we want to do is get embarrassed, » Atlanta United defender Michael Parkhurst says. « I think that alone pushes guys on Wednesday to perform well individually, collectively; show well for the league, show well for your team and yourself. I think that’s the most important thing. »
Managing those conflicting forces is Martino’s job for the next three days and, while he does that, he has extended the courtesy of allowing ESPN FC a glimpse of how he, his staff and the players will prepare for the game ahead.
Monday’s training session
When Martino smiles, he gives the aura of a gregarious, favorite uncle, the kind you gravitate toward at family reunions. But when his mood turns serious, there is a definite presence. Maybe you remember this is a man who has coached great players like Lionel Messi and big teams like Barcelona and Argentina. Regardless, he has a way of demanding attention.
A seven-minute meeting details the drills that will be used during practice, which include a possession exercise with free attacking players occupying the wings. Martino also explains how playing time will be doled out on Wednesday, with most players expected to get 30-45 minutes. And, with assistant Dario Sala acting as interpreter for the team’s non-Spanish speaking contingent, Martino outlines goals for the week.
