A blow for Atlanta United: the team announced on Wednesday that three of its players, including veteran goalkeeper Brad Guzan, will not return this season due to injuries.
The Georgia team is preparing to travel to Quebec to face CF Montreal at Stade Saputo on Saturday. However, it will do so without Guzan, midfielder Osvaldo Alonso and another goalkeeper, Dylan Castanheira.
Guzan, 37, has been one of Major League Soccer’s (MLS) most respected goalkeepers for years. Arrived in Atlanta in 2017, he did not miss many meetings, even starting seven of the eight duels of his team this season. The American, however, suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon in his right leg against FC Cincinnati on April 16 and underwent successful surgery three days later.
Alonso is also an MLS veteran and was in his first steps with Atlanta after 13 seasons with the Seattle Sounders and Minnesota United FC. In his case, it was a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that put an end to his campaign.
Castanheira, who hasn’t donned the Atlanta uniform this year, also suffered an Achilles tendon injury.
With few options in net, head coach Gonzalo Pineda should trust Bobby Shuttleworth for the rest of the season. The team also loaned out goalkeeper Rocco Rios Novo, a former academy player who now plays for Lanus, Argentina.
Atlanta United are fourth in the Eastern Conference standings with 11 points, as many as CF Montreal, which is sixth in goal differential.