Thursday training looks a little different than the rest of the week.
It’s a light session – shorter and with a smaller group this week as players make their way back from international duty. As head coach Ronny Deila looks on from the one slice of shade on the field, his team takes part in relay races and skill-based challenges.
One, for example, split players into two teams, gray vs. red. One player for each team dribbles through cones, from the start to the finish. When he reaches the other side, he passes the ball back to his team through the air. Each player remaining on the other end had to get a touch, all without the ball hitting the ground, before the next player can take off racing toward the other end.
The games are fun – players shouting, urging each other on. But these are not your typical field day games. These are professional athletes going at it, and the competition is quite fierce.
“It gets heated,” center back Derrick Williams said after training. “I always say if you're not going to do it here in this small-sided game, you're not going to do it in the match. You need to train as you play, so they're intense.”
What Thursdays have become for Atlanta United is based on a decision from Deila. The manager said that he and his coaching staff are constantly looking at ways they can approach the week differently, whether that’s in the gym, at meetings, or in the cafeteria. They designed Thursday practices with load management in mind, to make sure the group is heading into matchdays with the right balance of being sharp but not too fatigued.
“It’s fun, it’s short, it’s low intensity, it’s restitution, almost,” Deila said. “Then, we work also on individual things they like to do. It’s a feel-good exercise today to get ready for tomorrow.”
The group even keeps tabs – a win for their team means each player receives three points. The player with the lowest point total has an undeniably harsh punishment – wearing a yellow bib.
The result? A sunny, breezy Thursday with some on-the-field entertainment for the reporters visiting the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, meant to bring out competitive instincts and keep the guys fit and sharp heading into a very crucial stretch of the schedule.
Going into three straight matches at home
That crucial stretch begins Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta United returns from the international break and a road match in Cincinnati to finish up a stretch that includes five out of six matches at home, one of the most concentrated sections on the 2025 calendar.
The first of three consecutive home matches comes March 29 against a familiar foe. Atlanta United hosts New York City FC, an Eastern Conference opponent they know quite well. The series between these two teams has been roughly split. New York City owns the slight edge with an overall record of 5-4-8 (W-L-D). Both meetings in 2024 resulted in a draw.
New York City FC has a host of young players, but they're led by their veteran midfielder, Maxi Moralez. Like Atlanta United, NYCFC is coming off a tie against a conference opponent. Last weekend, they played Columbus Crew to a scoreless draw.
“New York is a good team, but I feel like if we play how we can play, we should get the three points,” Williams said.
Saturday’s matchup is the first time these two face off this season, and the meeting has even more of an edge to it. It’s the first time Deila will be going up against his former club.
Deila had a lot of success when he was head coach in New York City from 2020-22. He finished his time there with a record of 46-29-15. Most notably, he led the team to the club’s first-ever MLS Cup title in 2021.
“It’s going to be a tough game,” Deila said about Saturday’s matchup. “At the same time, I’m not so focused on them. I’m more into what we are doing. I know when we are playing good, that they are also going to suffer, and that’s what they need to do when they come to our stadium.”
Off the international break – players returning and players stepping up
Ten players, including a league-high eight from the first team, joined their home countries for some international soccer during FIFA break. Most of the players have returned to Atlanta and were out on the pitch competing in the small-sided games: Stian Gregersen, Bartosz Slisz, Noah Cobb and Luke Brennan. Jay Fortune, fresh off international duty with Trinidad and Tobago, worked out on his own, and Deila expects Luis Abram and Miguel Almirón back at training tomorrow and available for Saturday’s match.
While the 5-Stripes represented on the global stage, the break provided an opportunity for some to get more playing time, which we saw in last weekend's 2-2 draw at FC Cincinnati. Will Reilly, the Homegrown product from Decatur, Georgia who was part of the inaugural Academy roster in 2016, started his first career MLS match.
Reilly’s performance, which we broke down here, was somewhat of a revelation, as Deila said after the match they had discovered a new player. Reilly finished the match with a league-high 11 possession regains, the most from any midfielder at the club since 2021, according to Atlanta United’s head of analytics Arjun Balaraman.
“I said to him after the game, I thought he was excellent,” Williams said. “To come in and do the performance he did. But it’s just a start. He has to do that every day in training."
The 2025 season so far has seen a few young players step up at important moments: Matt Edwards against Charlotte FC, Reilly against Cincinnati FC. And Saturday could be the same. When talking about his squad's young players, the gaffer mentioned the potential of winger Luke Brennan and said the Homegrown will have a chance to make the bench for Saturday's match.
"We need to have these Homegrown young players,” Deila said. “They drive a different energy into the team.”
Looking for goals and second-half consistency
After the small-sided competitions during training, players split up into their position groups. On one end, Deila worked with the wingers – Luke Brennan, Saba Lobjanidze, Xande Silva – on give-and-gos.
On the other side, assistant coaches worked with some attacking players on breaking lines. At one point, assistant coach Elliot Parish shouted “Miami!” after Brooks Lennon crossed the ball into a dangerous spot for a Latte Lath header into goal. The connection and finish recreated the opening goal in Atlanta's most recent home match on March 16 against Inter Miami CF, a moment that also moved Lennon up to a tie for most assists all-time in club history.
This part of training was meant to work on individual positioning, to work on details and keep up the intensity after the competitive games. In matches, Atlanta United has looked downright dominant at times, mostly in the first halves. But they’ve had trouble bringing the same intensity and focus into the second 45 minutes. Deila said that if we were going by first half scores, Atlanta United would have 15 points, enough to lead the Eastern Conference table.
“It's obvious a team is going to change at halftime,” Williams said. “The way we dominate games the first half, the manager is going to make changes. We have to be aware of those changes and adapt during the game.”
Saturday marks Matchday 6 of the MLS regular season. It’s still fairly early; just the second month of MLS play. But we’re starting to move away from those “new season” jitters. These upcoming three matches at home feel like an opportunity for Atlanta United to really establish themselves and put together a full 90-minute performance.
“We just need more consistent performances. That’s what we want,” Deila said. “The goal now is to get three wins in these home games.”
