Josef Martinez: It’s another stripe for the tiger

Unfortunately, this one turned out to be a rather forgettable match, despite it being the much anticipated return of Josef Martinez. Atlanta United hosted Columbus on Saturday, and essentially every problem the Five Stripes have encountered throughout the season culminated into one upsetting game. An early set-piece goal, the backline getting beat, another injury suffered, and decent chances that just wouldn’t find the net all were the story of the night that saw Atlanta lose 2-1 at home. Sprinkle in a couple of red cards and it’s clear that the frustration is mounting in both performance and the feeling of inconsistency with reffing decisions this season. Ultimately, though, Atlanta is going to have to make its own luck, and the group now has an international break to self-reflect and figure out just what’s going awry. Here is everything that Gonzalo Pineda, Josef Martinez, and Alan Franco had to say after the match.

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