Through an assortment of injuries and several key absences due to international responsibilities, Atlanta United have been forced to use alternative options in the attacking third. And the drop in production from some of the understudies has been noticeable to say the least.
Just a quick glance at Atlanta’s recent form, and the three scoreless matches for the Five Stripes in their last four quickly highlight where the issue is. Everyone has their take on which second-string option is better than the other, but often these arguments have fallen heavy to eyeball tests. Sure Cubo Torres does some outrageously silly things in his own penalty area, and Erik Lopez might operate better wide instead of centrally, but who amongst the unproven deserves the title of second-fiddle to Josef Martinez?