Atlanta United have not played as well as they did in their MLS Cup-winning 2018 campaign. Miguel Almiron departed in the offseason, Frank de Boer replaced Tata Martino as the head coach, implementing a new, possession-based, slower, more defensively aware style in the process, and the team suffered as a result.
Such is their inordinate wealth of talent throughout the squad, they were still able to pick up points and victories despite the early-season growing points. On paper, this is the best squad in MLS, bar none. It just required a little fine-tuning.
And as the season has progressed, that fine-tuning has revolved around the MLS-record signing, the man who this team is meant to be built around, Gonzalo Martinez, the man to replace Almiron.