Training Ground Notebook: Junior Alonso and Luke Brennan on Moving Past Philadelphia Before Atlanta's Long-Awaited Return Home
Alonso broke down the two moments that beat Atlanta in Chester. Brennan looked ahead to a home crowd the team hasn't played in front of since May.
Tuesday's Atlanta United media availability in Marietta came with a match still stinging and the next one already on the horizon. Ten days after Atlanta United let a two-goal lead slip away in stoppage time at Philadelphia, Júnior Alonso and Luke Brennan both spoke to the group, and between them, they covered where the team's head is at, who's walking back into the lineup, and what it means to finally play at Mercedes-Benz Stadium again.
Alonso: "In those moments, Philadelphia was better"
Alonso was part of the back line that saw Atlanta's 2-0 lead disappear in Chester, and asked directly about his role in the two late goals, he didn't look for an excuse. "On the last two goals, the opponent was better, right?" Alonso said. "In football everything is decided in seconds, in millimeters. The opponent was able to take advantage of the chances we gave them, and that's why they scored those goals and beat us."
He was just as direct about what that night felt like inside the locker room, and about how quickly the group has tried to move past it. "That day we were sad, because we'd made a great effort playing with 10 men to score two goals," Alonso said. "Unfortunately we couldn't hold on to that result and ended up losing. But since then, the week has been very productive. We've worked well, spirits have lifted again, and now all we can do is focus on Saturday's match."
Playing more than an hour a man down after Enea Mihaj's 27th-minute red card is its own lesson, and Alonso, who has been through relegation fights before in France and Brazil, framed it as part of a young team's education. "What we have to learn is that in those situations we need to defend better, defend the spaces better," he said. "We'd already done the hardest part, which was scoring the two goals, and we needed to hold on to that result. This is also a young team, and it has to learn from that. I've been through those moments before, so I know we need to improve in those areas so that if it happens again, we don't make those same mistakes."
Asked about his adjustment to Major League Soccer and the transition-based play it often presentes, Alonso gave one of the more detailed answers a player has offered on the subject. "From my point of view, teams don't finish their chances, so that lets the opposing team attack again," he said. "When we win the ball back, we do the same thing, and that leads to the game being played this way and creating more space. The forwards stay up here, the defenders stay back there, and there's a gap in the middle, and that's the level we're playing at. I think that's usually how the games go, and the results don't lie, you watch the games, they end 3-4, 4-3, 5-4, most of the time, because all the opponents play that way."
He also offered some perspective on pressure, drawing a contrast between MLS and what he experienced earlier in his career. "I don't say this with any pride, but I was telling some of the teammates here, there are leagues where, if you're in this situation, you can't go out to dinner, you can't take your kids to school, they'll burn your car if you go down to the second division," Alonso said. "That creates an incentive to push yourself to improve. It seemed surprising to some of the younger players here, since it's not something common. I've already been through that, and I know the only way out of it is to trust the coach's ideas and take them to the fullest to get out of this situation."
On the transfer chatter surrounding a team sitting at the bottom of the table, Alonso kept the focus on the group already in the building. "The most important thing, I think, is that the players who are currently at the club need to want to be here, right?" he said. "It's a complicated situation we're in, and we need everyone here to bring the best energy. The most important thing, from my point of view, is that the 20 or 22 players who are here today are all on the same page, with the same mentality, working every day to get Atlanta out of that spot."
Brennan: fighting for minutes, and a homecoming
Brennan echoed Alonso's read on the week, describing training as sharper and more competitive since the loss. "Training's been very good. I think it's been a bit more competitive this week," Brennan said. "Guys, their heads aren't down. We're ready to keep on working. No one likes where we're at right now, but there's only one way forward. I think the group has been competitive, and everyone wants to win."
On the specific collapse against Philadelphia, Brennan pointed to a mix of fatigue and Philadelphia's pressure. "We might have became a little disorganized towards the end of the game, but it was a tough one to take," he said. "Obviously, we're only 10 men, so it was tough. It could have been both, I think. They kept on pushing, and it was tough for us to continue to defend. But yeah, I think it's a bit lucky, the couple of those goals. It's a tough one to take, like I said, but we just have to move on."
With Atlanta pulling players up from the second team, Brennan, who has been on both sides of that promotion himself, was asked what he tells guys like Ignacio Suarez-Couri and Dominik Chong Qui when they get their shot. "This is a big club. We obviously are a club that likes to spend money, so it's tough to push guys out of their spots," he said. "So I tell them always just to use your opportunity wisely. Even if it's coming on to defend, you have to use that opportunity to impress the coaching staff, the players around you. Just use your opportunity."
Brennan was asked the same question for himself, about what the coaching staff wants to see as he pushes for more minutes. "I think they're asking me to just continue to put my head down and work," he said. "Obviously, I can come on in games. I can create and show the coaching staff what I can do. I just need to continue to create goalscoring chances, beat players one-v-one. Honestly, just work. Put my head down and continue to work."
He was also candid about what it's like watching Atlanta get tied to well-known names during a transfer window that has already reshaped the roster. "For me, I mean, we have Miggy, we have Alexey. We already had and have some big players," Brennan said. "I always look forward to playing with the best players, and I think I can learn from them as well. So I get a bit excited seeing all that."
On the incoming and outgoing pieces themselves, Brennan said the group has adjusted well. "I think it obviously takes some time. I've been here with guys coming and guys going. For me, it's been good," he said. "The players coming in, we've had open arms and accepted them, and they've come in and joined. Maybe they know some players already, so I think the guys have adapted well. We're a team more than ever right now."
Brennan also got a look at Paulo Díaz, the center back who now has his visa and is eligible to play this weekend. He did not hold back in his assessment of what he has seen in training so far. "He's a killer," Brennan said. "I think he's a top player on the ball. I think he's a technical center back that can see passes, and yeah, he's also a killer, so it's good." It's the same read Alonso gave earlier in the day about his new center-back partner: "Paulo has trained quite well these past few days," Alonso said. "Individually he's prepared himself very well, and hopefully he can help the team, because that's what we need right now."
Díaz's availability will give Tata Martino a decision to make on the back line. Mihaj is suspended after his red card in Philadelphia. Díaz will compete with Alonso and Stian Gregersen for spots in the starting lineup.
Then there's the occasion itself. Saturday is Atlanta's first match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since May, with the FIFA World Cup occupying the stretch in between, and Brennan, who has missed that atmosphere as much as anyone, was asked if the return home gives the team a lift. "I think our fans are probably one of the best in the league, if not the best in the league," he said. "It always helps being back at the bench. I know I'm super excited to be back home, but yeah, I think it should help."
The roster picture heading into Saturday
Atlanta made its next addition to the midfield official on August 7, signing 21-year-old Mauricio Amaro from Uruguay's Defensor Sporting Club through the 2028-29 season, with a club option for 2029-30. Amaro is still waiting on his International Transfer Certificate and P-1 visa before he can join the group for training and matches, so he is not likely to factor into Saturday.
Jay Fortune has returned from injury and was involved in the open portion of training today. Tata Martino will update the media on his availability for Saturday after Friday's session.
All of it sets up a first home match in three months against a New York Red Bulls team coming to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with Atlanta still trying to turn a week it described as productive into its first result since the Philadelphia collapse.
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