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Bill Murphy Sports Editor | 770-718-3415 | sports@gainesvilletimes.com
Unties
gainesvilletimes.com
Monday, December 17, 2018
ATU\NTA UNITED
TODD KIRKLAND I Associated Press
Atlanta United forward Josef Martinez (7) beats Portland
Timbers goalkeeper Jeff Attinella (1) to score a goal during
the first half of the MLS Cup championship soccer game,
Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018, in Atlanta.
Five Stripes in
position to make
key decisions
Atlanta needs to hire new
coach, retain some top talent
BY DOUG ROBERSON
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Dec. 16 — Six trophies.
Atlanta United, recently
crowned the kings of MLS,
can compete for as many
as six trophies in 2019. They
are the CONCACAF Champi
ons League, U.S. Open Cup,
Campeones Cup, Supporters’
Shield, MLS Cup and Club
World Cup.
The work started when
the franchise was founded
in April 2014. It will take
important steps, arguably its
most important, during this
offseason.
Here are things to watch
until the SuperDraft in Chi
cago on Jan. 11 and training
camp opens three days later:
Question: By when will
the next manager be hired?
Answer: Jan. 14 is the date
that team president Darren
Eales has consistently said
is his deadline to have the
team’s second manager in
place.
It seems more likely that
the team will have Gerardo
Martino’s successor sooner
than that because of the
six trophies at stake. Plus,
the team has known it was
going to need a hire since
it announced in
late October that
Martino wasn’t
returning.
The season will
likely start the first
weekend in March,
so the next manager
will have six weeks
to get to know the
players, communi
cate his strategy and begin
developing the tactics to
execute that strategy.
Q: Who will be the next
manager?
A: Several names have
been tied to the job. Some,
such as Guillermo Barros
Schelloto, make a lot of
sense. Others, such as Alan
Pardew, don’t.
Barros Schelloto was most
recently the manager of
Boca Juniors in his native
Argentina. He won two tro
phies with the club. Similar
to Martino, he would bring
a name cache to young
players in Argentina that
have become a mine of tal
ent for Atlanta United with
signings such as Hector Vil-
lalba, Leandro Gonzalez
Pirez, Franco Escobar, Eric
Remedi and Ezequiel Barco.
Barros Schelloto also
brings experience playing
in MLS from his years with
Columbus.
What he doesn’t bring, or
rather has yet to develop, is
a lot of experience as a man
ager. He led Boca Juniors
for just two seasons. He led
Lanus, Miguel Almiron’s for
mer club, for three years.
His tactics, or lack
thereof, have been ques
tioned, particularly in losses
to Boca’s rival, River Plate.
Q: Will the team lose any
key players?
A: The team last week
announced that it had
declined contract options
on several players, none of
whom would be considered
key contributors.
It also traded Greg Garza,
who has been a key contrib
utor but was deemed surplus
to the needs of the team,
which has four left backs
remaining on its roster.
The biggest name that
seems likely to leave is
Miguel Almiron, though the
team has said that it will
only sell him if the offer
meets their expectations.
The problem for Atlanta
United is it already had his
replacement, Pity Marti
nez, lined up, and because
of MLS rules, the team can’t
add Pity Marintez without
selling or loaning either
Almiron, Josef Martinez or
Ezequiel Barco.
So, Eales may not have
the desired leverage when it
comes to negotiating the sale
of Almiron.
Rumors of Josef Martinez
have cooled in recent weeks,
particularly as he’s said over
and over that he loves living
in Atlanta and would only
want to leave if the club
decided it no longer wanted
him. At this point, after scor
ing a league single-season
scoring record of 35 goals
and winning three MVP
awards, he seems closer to
getting the statue he desires
rather than a pink slip.
On the other hand, buy
low, sell high.
It will be intrigu
ing to see how the
team may react
should it receive
offers, or there are
reports of offers,
for players such
as Gonzalez Pirez,
one of the league’s
best defenders the
past two seasons,
and Julian Gressel,
whose skills allow him to
slide into any position in the
midfield, as a wingback or
fullback.
Teams have until the
beginning of March to
ensure that its roster in its
compliance with MLS rules.
Q: Will the team add key
players in addition to Pity
Martinez?
A: Based upon its history,
it wouldn’t be surprising if
it did. No one expected the
team to complete a trade
in Dec. 2017 for Darlington
Nagbe. But the deal was
done and Nagbe was a key
player in the team’s drive in
the playoffs.
The team was deep
enough to survive numerous
injuries last season when
it was competing for three
trophies: the U.S. Open Cup,
Supporters’ Shield and MLS
Cup.
This year, because it is
competing as many as six
trophies, it would be unrea
sonable to expect the typical
starters to go every game.
So, the team needs to add
depth and experience at
almost every position, but
particularly down the mid
dle of the pitch: striker, cen
tral midfielder, defensive
midfielder and centerback.
Perhaps most impor
tantly, it needs to add some
one who has competed in
the CONCACAF Champions
League because winning
that would not only make
MLS history, but would put
it in the Club World Cup,
which would immeasurably
strengthen the brands of the
team and league.
Gonzalez Pirez
NFL I Falcons 40, Cardinals 14
Something to smile about
Photos by DANNY KARNIK I The Associated Press
Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman (26) celebrates with quarterback Matt Ryan after scoring a touchdown
during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday in Atlanta.
Atlanta scores 20 points off turnovers to end 5-game skid
Atlanta Falcons cornerback Brian Poole (34) recovers Arizona Cardinals
quarterback Josh Rosen’s fumble in the second quarter of Sunday’s game
in Atlanta.
Associated Press
The Falcons were struggling
again, and quarterback Matt Ryan
was looking for something to spark
the team.
Ryan got just what he wanted
from his teammate, linebacker
Deion Jones.
“That was awesome to get us
going,” Ryan said. “I felt like the
energy that really
got everybody
into it, and from
that point forward
we played really
well.”
Julio Jones
made an acro
batic touchdown
catch on a pass
from Ryan, Deion
Jones returned an
interception for an early score, and
Atlanta snapped a five-game losing
streak with a 40-14 victory over the
Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Playing their final home game
of the season, the Falcons (5-9)
forced three turnovers and sacked
Arizona quarter
backs seven times,
a single-game sea
son high for both
teams. Arizona
(3-11) has dropped
two straight and
five of six under
first-year coach
Steve Wilks.
“I want to start
out by saying I
take full responsibility for what
you saw out there tonight,” Wilks
said. “It was unacceptable, not even
close.”
Julio Jones caught six passes for
82 yards, all in the first half. His
22-yard score in the closing seconds
before intermission put the Falcons
up 26-7. Jones beat Patrick Peter
son’s bump-and-run coverage down
the left sideline, turning the corner-
back around and twisting around
him to make a diving catch.
Ryan ran for a 1-yard score early
the second quarter and finished with
231 yards passing
in his 100th career
victory. Matt Bry
ant added two
short field goals,
and Tevin Cole
man had a 43-yard
TD run in the third
quarter as Atlanta
won for the first
time since Week 9
at Washington.
Grady Jarrett had two sacks for
Atlanta, and Arizona’s run defenses
allowed 215 yards to the NFL’s
worst rushing attack.
Playing behind a makeshift
offense line that has lost six play
ers to injured reserve, Arizona’s
Josh Rosen was under duress all
afternoon and finished with a 38.4
passer rating.
The rookie quarterback got the
Cardinals off to a fast start with run
ning back David Johnson catching
two long passes to set up a short TD
run that made it 7-0, but Arizona was
essentially done after Deion Jones
scored a touchdown for the third
time in eight career interceptions.
In his fourth game back after
spending most of the season side
lined by a foot injury, Jones forced a
7-all tie in the first quarter, snagging
Vic Beasley’s batted ball from the
air in the flats and running 41 yards
for Atlanta’s second defensive TD of
the season.
QUESTIONS IN THE DESERT:
It feels like a couple of months have
passed since Arizona enjoyed a sea
son highlight under Wilks, a 20-17
■ Please see FALCONS, 3B
Deion Jones
Jones
Bryant
NCTS 144, HAWKS 127
Atlanta stumbles to
its third straight loss
Associated Press
Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson
watched the Nets let a 21-point lead
slip to two and was reminded of the
offensive flaws that sent the team
spiraling on an eight-game skid a
few weeks ago.
Needing a spark on the offensive
end, Atkinson made sure D’Angelo
Russell led the way.
Russell scored 32 points, Rondae
Hollis-Jefferson had 18 and the Nets
beat the Atlanta Hawks 144-127 on
Sunday for their fifth straight win.
Joe Harris had 16 points and
Spencer Dinwiddie added 15 off the
bench for the Nets, who last won
five straight March 25-April 2,2015.
Atkinson noticed a different team
to start the third quarter as the ball
moved and the Nets pushed toward
the basket more.
Atlanta cut Brooklyn’s 21-point
lead down to 66-64 when Kent Baze-
more capped a 6-0 run with two free
throws late in the first half. But the
Nets pulled away in the third quar
ter with an 11-5 run to make it 108-92
after Russell found Ed Davis cutting
to the basket for a dunk.
John Collins scored 29 points and
Dewayne Dedmon had 24 points
and 12 rebounds for the Hawks, who
have lost three straight and seven of
their last eight.
Atlanta stumbled in the first quar
ter and trailed 42-23 at the end of it.
The Hawks shot 10 for 23 from the
field while the Nets connected on
16 of 26, including 7 for 14 from the
3-point line.
GOLF
Loves close at 16-under
to win Father-Son event
Davis Love III and Dru Love closed
with a 16-under 56 in a scramble for
mat to set two tournament records and
win the PNC Father-Son Challenge by
three shots Sunday.
Team Love shot 27 on the front nine
at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, took the
lead with a birdie at No. 11 and fin
ished off the record round with four
more birdies and an eagle.
The 56 beat by one the record previ
ously held by Raymond Floyd and his
son in 1995, and by Bob Charles and his
son in 1998.
John and Little John Daly shot 62
and tied for second with Retief and Leo
Goosen and Stewart and Connor Cink.
Team Love finished at 26-under 118,
breaking by one shot the record in the
scramble format.
John and Little John Daly, who
opened with a 59, shot 62 and tied for
second with Retief and Leo Goosen and
Stewart and Connor Cink.
“He’s been very competitive this
week,” Love said of his son.
Associated Press
