Atlanta United faces significant lineup changes as the team prepares to play Inter Miami this Saturday in Fort Lauderdale. With eight First Team players away on international duty, head coach Ronny Deila is turning to depth players and possibly members of Atlanta United 2 to fill out the roster.
Thursday’s training session included both the First Team and Atlanta United 2, allowing Deila and his staff to evaluate potential candidates for Short-Term Agreements.
Norwegian center back Stian Gregersen spoke about his return from injury during media availability. He joked at the microphone, saying “Je m’appelle Tristan Muyumba,” which means “My name is Tristan” in French. Gregersen discussed his recovery process: “You have to learn from that. When you are injured, you can work on other things also. You have to stay positive. Now, I’m fully healthy and hopefully it can be better in the future.”
Gregersen has focused on personalized fitness routines with team trainers, emphasizing core workouts due to his height. As one of the few regular starters available for Saturday’s match, he is expected to play a key role in defense.
He also expressed ambitions beyond club football: “I sent a message to the [Norway] national team coach to say Stian is now starting to be the guy he should be,” Deila said. “But as I said, it’s about consistency. Everything is about consistency … we don’t need the fireflies, we need stars.”
Gregersen added, “I feel good, but it could be better, because I was a long time away during the in the middle of the season. But it becomes better and better. I have to be more fit so I can show my best of myself, but I think I started to do that now.”
Inter Miami will also miss several players due to international matches. However, Lionel Messi may still appear for Miami if he does not play for Argentina in their friendly against Venezuela in Miami.
Deila acknowledged challenges preparing for an opponent with uncertain player availability but expects his team will adapt. The five-at-the-back formation used against LAFC last weekend is likely to continue after a strong defensive showing.
“I think it’s about distances. You know, when you have short distances between you, you have always help, and it’s short little, little space to play in,” Deila said. “We were very disciplined. One thing is to be disciplined, established, but also the reactions in him when you lose the ball, when you win the ball, that is things that you have to coach about, understanding about next situation, next situation. So it’s a mindset.”
With Alexey Miranchuk and Miguel Almirón both unavailable due to international duty—marking their first absence together this season—Jamal Thiaré may start up front again while Emmanuel Latte Lath returns as an option following injury.
Cayman Togashi could also feature after scoring as a substitute during Atlanta United’s Leagues Cup win over Atlas FC earlier this season.
The final matchday squad will depend on Friday’s club availability report and may include players signed on Short-Term Agreements.
Deila emphasized taking positives from having many players called up internationally: “We have to take the positive things, when these players are improving,” Deila said. “I love to see Bartosz [Slisz] is a very important player now for Poland, and he plays every time, that shows a lot of improvement. I love to see Luke [Brennan] doing well in the under-20s.”
