In some ways, 2019 hasn't gone quite like Ezequiel Barco had hoped. The Atlanta United attacker has seen his time limited through a combination of international commitments and injuries. The 917 minutes he's played in 14 appearances so far this season are just over half of what he logged in 2018, a campaign in which he was viewed as having underachieved.
Yet as Atlanta heads into the postseason -- closing out the regular season with Sunday's Decision Day tilt against the New England Revolution (4:00 p.m. ET, stream live on ESPN+) -- there is a certain optimism surrounding Barco.