“We’re alive”: Atlanta United put tumultuous week behind them with season-saving win | MLSSoccer.com

With Martinez out, head coach Gonzalo Pineda opted to provide Dom Dwyer the nod up high for the previous US worldwide’s second begin of the season.

Nobody, although, anticipated a hat trick from Purata, whose three targets all got here off headers. Scoreless in 26 appearances with Tigres UANL in Liga MX earlier than his summer time mortgage to Atlanta, he is now third on the crew with six targets in simply 13 MLS matches, and is making a robust case for the membership to choose up his possibility in 2023.

Pineda talked about that whereas Purata’s talent within the air was introduced up in discussions with Tigres, the 24-year-old was “outperforming expectations” in that division. That mentioned, the supervisor credited the crew as a complete for offering these alternatives.

“It’s everybody. It’s creating the probabilities to get corners. It’s the fellows that take the corners, they’re hitting the balls. The motion that we try to make use of, the decoys, the blockers, the second balls,” Pineda mentioned. “It’s a complete bundle that clearly helps Purata to shine on set items as properly.”

Purata echoed that sentiment.

“It’s not widespread for a central defender to attain three targets, however tonight it occurred to me,” he mentioned by means of a translator. “However it’s due to the work from everybody on the crew…It’s not simply the work of 1 individual, not two or three folks, not even the 11 gamers on the sector. It’s the work of everybody on this locker room.”