Stopping the fire and preventing future fires is how Ronny Deila described Atlanta United’s evolving approach to injury prevention and treatment.
The team will be without three starters — centerbacks Derrick Williams (hamstring) and Stian Gregersen (quadriceps), and midfielder Tristan Muyumba (adductor) — for Saturday’s match at Orlando.
“They are really frustrated that they get these niggles over and over again,” Deila said Thursday. “And we are frustrated about it, because we know what they can do for a team. We need to do this as a group together to see what we can do better, also as a staff, and they also have to be very on the front foot to find solutions to be more available.”
Deila said it’s important to keep the same players on the pitch because being forced to change out players over and over impairs abilities to form relationships, which affects consistency. The team is off to the worst start in franchise history with 9 points from nine matches. It has a goal difference of minus-5.
“These are very important things, but we haven’t given up that they can be consistent in the team,” he said of Williams and Gregersen, who have started together in just four of the team’s nine matches this season.
It’s not just them.
Midfielder Mateusz Klich (quad), Muyumba (knee) previously, midfielder Alexey Miranchuk (adductor), fullback Pedro Amador (hamstring) and then again (quad), fullback Ronald Hernandez (quad) and striker Jamal Thiare (quad) have missed time or been unable to start because of muscle or tendon/ligament strains or injuries this season. Gregersen has left several games early because of muscle injuries. There have been other injuries related to contact, such as Edwin Mosquera (ankle) and Brooks Lennon (shoulder).
That’s where the fire analogy comes into play.
Deila said putting out the fire is healing the injury. Preventing the fire is what Atlanta United is working to get better at, with some help from Deila and his experiences in Europe.
Led by David Tenney, director of sports science for the club, among the things they are doing differently is focusing on strengthening the players’ core muscle groups. Deila joked the reason he isn’t a good dancer is because his core isn’t as strong as it should be. In seriousness, he said the team has tested core strength in general ways in the past. The team is being more specific now, measuring and strengthening for every player. He said a strong core helps to not overload another muscle group.
“If you do that (generally), then you will catch more than maybe 50% of it,” he said. “We will catch maybe 90%.”
The team is also paying greater attention to load-management. Deila said Klich, who is 34 years old, can’t train the same as Noah Cobb, who is 19. That’s why Klich, along with Brooks Lennon, 27, and Alexey Miranchuk, 28, trained in the gym Thursday rather than on the field.
“Everybody has to have a specific individual program, how they train, how they have treatments, how they have exercises out of the pitch, and then I think it will reach into more players and find their needs in a better way to keep them consistent on the pitch,” he said.
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Atlanta United’s 2025 schedule
Feb. 22 Atlanta United 3, Montreal 2
March 1 Charlotte 2, Atlanta United 0
March 8 Atlanta United 0, New York Red Bulls 0
March 16 Miami 2, Atlanta United 1
March 22 Atlanta United 2, Cincinnati 2
March 29 Atlanta United 4, NYCFC 3
April 5 Atlanta United 1, Dallas 1
April 12 New England 1, Atlanta United 0
April 19 Philadelphia 3, Atlanta United 0
April 26 at Orlando, 7 p.m., Apple, Fox
May 3 vs. Nashville, 2:30 p.m., Apple, Fox
May 10 at Chicago, 2:30 p.m., Apple
May 14 at Austin, 8:30 p.m., Apple
May 17 vs. Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 25 vs. Cincinnati, 7 p.m., Apple
May 28 vs. Orlando, 7:30 p.m., Apple
May 31 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 12 at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 25 at Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 28 at Miami, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 5 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 16 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Apple, FS1
July 19 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 26 vs. Seattle, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 30 vs. Necaxa, Leagues Cup
Aug. 2. vs. Pumas in Orlando, Leagues Cup
Aug. 6 vs. Atlas, Leagues Cup
Aug. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 16 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 24 vs. Toronto, 5 p.m., Apple
Aug. 30 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. Apple
Sept. 13 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 20 vs. San Diego, 4:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 27 at New England, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 5 at LAFC, 10:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 18 vs. D.C. United, 6 p.m., Apple
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