Atlanta United have an opportunity to extend their unbeaten run to six games when they host Nashville SC on Saturday at Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The Five Stripes have won three in a row since appointing Gonzalo Pineda as manager, while Nashville are in a battle for second in the Eastern Conference, currently sitting two points behind Orlando City for that spot.
Match preview
It is incredible how much one change can turn everything around, and in Atlanta, a new coach has breathed new life into this team.
Under Gabriel Heinze, this side were in disarray, on the outside of the playoffs for most of the season, going winless in eight straight matches and numerous reports of infighting and players not seeing eye-to-eye with their coach.
The arrival of Pineda seems to have been a breath of fresh air for this side, who have only missed the post season once in their history and thanks to their current four-game winning streak, they are even on points with DC United for that final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
More often than not, they have a decided edge over their opponents in terms of possession, but they have created a lot more scoring opportunities of late, firing no fewer than four shots on target in a single game on their current run.
Atlanta have made up a lot of ground on their Eastern Conference rivals this month, their top players are scoring, and they have kept two clean sheets in their last three outings.
Saturday will be the start of a five-game homestand for this team, who have won back-to-back encounters at Mercedes Benz Stadium after losing two straight games by a single goal.
Like the Five Stripes when they entered the league as an expansion side, Nashville have emerged as an elite team in only their second season in MLS.
Aside from the New England Revolution, who are well ahead of everyone right now, the Eastern Conference has been highly competitive, with the Black-and-Gold certainly holding their own.
On Wednesday, Gary Smith saw his team grab a point against one of the teams they are hoping to catch in the table, as they squandered a second half lead to draw 1-1 with the Lions.
This team made the playoffs in their inaugural campaign thanks to a strong defensive shape and keeping their matches tight.
While they are still employing those principles to great effect, this is a team with a well-balanced attack that can punish you if you give them an opening.
They are well-positioned in the standings, even though only one point currently separates fifth-place New York City FC from Orlando City in second.
Nashville have earned points all season long by not losing consecutive fixtures, while suffering only two defeats so far, the fewest in MLS.
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- D
- W
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- D
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Team News
Ezequiel Barco set a club record in their last match with eight fouls won, while he set up the winning goal from Marcelino Moreno with less than 10 minutes remaining.
Former MLS Golden Boot winner Josef Martinez seems to have found his goalscoring form again with two goals in his last three games.
Emerson Hyndman remains out with a torn ACL, Mo Adams has a left quad injury, while Jake Mulraney, Franco Ibarra and Santiago Sosa are all questionable with lower-body injuries and Matheus Rossetto came on as a substitute versus the Black-and-Red last week.
This season, CJ Sapong has added a lot to the Nashville attack, scoring seven goals in his last seven starts for the club as he leads the team with nine so far this year.
Anibal Godoy has emerged as a star playmaker in the middle of the pitch, currently fourth in the league when it comes to passing percentage, as he is clicking at 92.5%, while Hany Mukhtar took the team lead in assists in their last fixture, with his seventh of the season.
Daniel Rios made his second consecutive appearance for the Black-and-Gold, and Walker Zimmerman continues to shine in central defence as he was rock solid at the MLS All-Star game this week and was also named to the US National Team for their World Cup qualifiers next month.
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Bello, Walkes, Campbell, Robinson, Lennon; Moreno, Rossetto, Damm; Barco, Martinez
Nashville SC possible starting lineup:
Willis; Maher, Zimmerman, Lovitz, Romney; Johnston, McCarty, Godoy, Muyl; Sapong, Mukhtar
We say: Atlanta United 2-1 Nashville SC
Finally, the Five Stripes are starting to play to their capabilities, and they should not have any problem maintaining their momentum with a capacity crowd expected to cheer them on this weekend.
Nashville have been able to hang around in all of their matches this season, but they struggle to find the back of the net away from home, having been shut out of four road games this season.
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