Despite the goalscoring prowess of Josef Martinez, the game-changing pace of Tito Villalba, and the dynamism of Miguel Almiron, perhaps no Atlanta United player is more important to the club than one of the understated South Americans—Leandro Gonzalez Pirez.
What’s most impressive about the Argentine defender isn’t the way he’s performed on the field, it’s the way he’s hastily settled into American life—a big compliment for a player named an MLS Best XI player last season. Since arriving at the club, Gonzalez Pirez has made every effort to establish himself as a leader in the team, and part of that process involved learning more English.