Atlanta United FC: Emergence Of Ezequiel Barco Will Be Key

Atlanta United FC (8-2-1) dropped rival Orlando City SC (2-1) Sunday evening in the rain. Ezequiel Barco continues to emerge as a threat.

Sunday’s match in Orlando featured everything most have come to expect from a soccer match: Beautiful passing and scoring, a raucous crowd in a maelstrom, chippy play with yellow cards everywhere, flops, and fans throwing trash on the field. It was a fun match to watch. It didn’t hurt that our fearless Atlanta United FC took the “W”. Ezeqiel Barco was a key component to the win, and his emergence as a scoring threat could be key to The 5 Stripes doing damage in the playoffs.

Barco, the heralded 19-year-old off-season addition from Argentina, looks like he’s finding his footing in MLS (sorry). Dude never seemed out of pace, or confused by play, but like most changes, there was a noticeable period of transition.

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Those days seem to be behind the diminutive Midfielder. Barco, to this date, has played in 6 games, started in 5 of those and already has two goals.

The goal scored Sunday evening, in the 31st minute, from a beautiful give and take with Greg Garza, validates the off-season excitement of his addition to United. It was nice. And needed.

The larger point here, though, is what his emergence would mean to the other “Big 2”, as it were.

Anytime you are in a sport that requires moving up and down a court or field, using spacing as a strategy and technique, having a legitimate third scoring threat usually points to extended playoff success.

Think about it. Jordan had Pippen. But they also needed Horace Grant first and then Dennis Rodman later. Lebron and Wade were great, but they wouldn’t have won in Miami without Ray Allen. Same could be said for the Celtics and Allen.

You never hear tales of a two-headed monster. It’s always a three-headed monster.

Teams have all but telegraphed that Atlanta might beat them, but it won’t be because of Josef Martinez. That has allowed Miguel Almiron to take advantage, and he has, but he can be shaded and marked, as well. If Ezequiel Barco can become that legitimate third scoring threat, there isn’t a team in MLS that can game plan for that. Well, they can. But I doubt it will be successful most of the time.

This isn’t to take away from the importance of dudes like Villalba or Gressel, and the like, but Barco seems to have that thing. That sense of where to be when the net comes open.

It is a young season. Barco is a young player. There is no way to know how it will all flesh out.

For the time being, it looks like the “Big 2” could get a 3rd amigo.

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