Following yesterday’s preseason competition in Chattanooga, Tenn., head coach Tata Martino expressed his feelings and impressions regarding his team’s first-ever match.
“We have the idea of always playing the same style regardless of the opponent, and I think today we were more focused on playing the way we want,” Martino said.
A fourth-tier NPSL side in Chattanooga FC certainly doesn’t imitate the caliber of MLS competition that Atlanta United will be confronted with this season, but a game environment against a tenacious 11 is exactly what Atlanta’s squad needed for its first appearance on the field.
From the first 10 minutes, it was clear Martino had designated a style for his team to emulate: build from the back, possess with purpose, and high press when on the other side of the ball.