September was a time that was circled on players’ calendars all year long, a grueling stretch of eight games that would define their season. Despite a disappointing loss to end the stretch, it was an overall success that ultimately led to their playoff qualification.
“If we said before those eight games that we’d win five, draw two and lose one I think everyone would’ve signed up, Tata probably included,” Julian Gressel told reporters Tuesday. “So it’s positive, I think we’re all feeling pretty good about where we are right now.”
But the international break came as welcome news to a squad that needed a chance to catch their breath after an intense run of games.
“We had the weekend off to do our own thing and I think everybody needed it and enjoyed it, mentally and physically,” team captain Michael Parkhurst said. “It was just nice to get away, to be with family and friends and just relax a little bit. So we come back here refreshed this week for a good week of training and looking forward to the weekend.”
After such a successful stretch, some teams can struggle to regain their form after taking a week and a half off. But Atlanta’s veteran leadership knows how to keep the team focused after their well-earned rest.
“We just need to make sure that we have a sharp week of training,” Parkhurst said. “We need to come out here and put a lot of effort in early in the week, which we have so far. And as the week goes on, just make sure that we’re sharp physically and mentally and be ready to pick up where we left off on Sunday.”
Next up is the New York Red Bulls on Sunday, a rematch of Atlanta’s MLS debut in the first match of the season. While revenge is on the mind, there are bigger goals for the squad as they roll into the postseason.
“We want to win both of our games,” Gressel said. “If it turns out we get the second seed then great, if not, we still get a home game. That’s how we see it and that’s how we want to approach those games and hopefully it’ll end well.”
“We want to go out and have two good performances, to feel good about it,” Parkhurst added. “We’re not afraid of playing that play-in game, especially if it’s a home game.”
Win or lose, there’s no doubt about the team’s motivation level as they head into the final, decisive stretch of the MLS season.
“We know that we have some more work left to do in order to get a little break, at least no midweek game,” Gressel said, “but we’re all excited for the upcoming weeks, and for the postseason. We’re ready to try to make history with this club.”
Atlanta’s match against the Red Bulls will kick off at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, and will be broadcast on Fox Sports 1. They’ll then cap off the regular season against Toronto FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium a week later on October 22nd. More than 70,000 tickets have been sold so far, so click here to be a part of the record-breaking day.
