Atlanta United's squad depth faces a stress test this Saturday

And like most stress tests, they are designed to create failure.

Gonzalo Pineda has plenty of work to do on the training ground this week to prepare an incomplete squad to face Toronto FC. [via Atlanta United]

Atlanta United’s start to the season has been smooth sailing, all things considered. Atlanta’s had two home games (and two wins) out of its first three to start the season, facing opponents involved in other competitions, and hell, they even got a bye week thrown in there to allow Thiago Almada and others to get up to speed after its opening week road loss. All three starting lineups have been identical.

But the first choppy waters are ahead, and you should buckle your seat belt and tie down all loose items on the bow.

Gonzalo Pineda is set to take his team north of the border to Toronto this Saturday, and as if road games for this team aren’t difficult enough, they’re going to be challenged even more by missing *six* starters from this season’s 11, plus one more who’s featured off the bench in all three games.

To recap the absences:

ST Giorgos Giakoumakis, tied for the league lead in goals with four at this early stage, will be with Greece.

AM Thiago Almada will be with Argentina’s U-23 team.

CM Bartosz Slisz will be with Poland.

LB Caleb Wiley will be with the United States U-23 team.

CB Stian Gregersen has a meniscus injury and has already been ruled out for Saturday. He’s likely to miss more games (his status and timetable will be updated next week).

CB Luis Abram will be with Peru.

CM Jay Fortune will be with Trinidad and Tobago.

This is what Atlanta has left, and shows just how much work Pineda and his staff have on their hands this week as they so desperately try to turn around its string of disappointing road results dating back many seasons now.

It is unnecessary for me to explain why this will be such a big challenge for Atlanta United this weekend, even if their opponent is not considered one to be challenging for much more than a potential low-seed playoff berth in the Eastern Conference this season.

What I do want to stress is that Atlanta United is unlikely to take the field Saturday night, ping the ball around like they normally do and control the game. Hell, they’re unlikely to win at all. They’re already underdogs in the betting markets for Saturday night’s game, despite a strong start and massively favored to finish higher than Toronto by season’s end.

This game should be thought of as an opportunity to see just how well the players on the back end of the roster can compete physically, mentally and tactically with bona fide MLS competition. Lets take a look at who might fill in the gaps:

We’ve covered the bad news. The good news is that given Atlanta’s position here, many teams would do FAR worse to cover the gaps. In Ronald Hernandez, you have an experienced international player with versatility to play on the left. Similar for Dax McCarty, who will know exactly what to expect and can use his experience and leadership to keep the team of newly-fitted pieces organized. Noah Cobb and Tyler Wolff have varying levels of minutes in MLS play, but both should consider themselves as ready to step in to these exact kind of situations and play well. And Jamal Thiare at least fits a similar profile to GG as a player who can physically impose himself on opponents and be a danger on set pieces. The team should also have at lest some options off the bench through the likes of Edwin Mosquera, Derrick Ettiene Jr. and Nick Firmino. Efrain Morales and Aiden McFadden are likely to remain on the bench and be used in case of emergency.

Playing a “clean” game like the team did against Orlando is off the table as an expectation. The best the team could hope for would be a couple of scrappy goals and maybe only concede once. Given home many new players are stepping in, it’s next to impossible to maintain a clean sheet under these conditions. Coming away with any points should be considered a win, but even if they don’t, we should be able to glean more information after getting to watch a handful of players who we’ve yet to see much of so far this season.