Atlanta United’s Almada, Wiley are both appointment viewing

These Atlanta kids might be good

There are at least two good reasons to watch Atlanta United every week right now.

The Five Stripes demolished the Portland Timbers 5-1 on Saturday, with Caleb Wiley and Thiago Almada both putting on stellar performances.

First up was 18-year-old homegrown winger Wiley, who followed up last week’s brace with another goal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Yes, it took some help from Portland a) being caught with everyone in the Atlanta half following a set piece and b) for the retreating Timbers defenders to engage in some kind of Three Stooges routine by running into one another.

But nonetheless, Wiley made the smart run early, turning on the jets with the hope that someone would be able to find him. Almada is one of the very best players in MLS at finding someone, and from there Wiley just calmly dispatched with his breakaway, giving Aljaž Ivačič no chance to make a stop.

That brings us to Almada. The World Cup winner opened the season by scoring two ridiculous goals against the San Jose Earthquakes, and followed that up with an assist in each of Atlanta’s next two games. Pretty good, right? The performance of an active Argentine international in MLS.

Well, sadly for the Timbers, Almada decided to up the ante against them. He stood over a 32-yard free kick in the 47th minute, with Luiz Araújo the left-footed option to compliment him.

However, few people really believed anyone other than Almada was going to strike the ball. The odds are still long, even for a player of his level, but Almada is in incredible form at the moment.

The result? A shot into the furthest reaches of the far corner, kissing the post and setting off delirium at the Benz.

There’s not a lot Wiley or anyone else could do to top that, but the kid sure did try. With Portland stretched in the 59th minute, Wiley received a crossfield ball and served up an absolute dime of a cross for Giorgos Giakoumakis, with the new striker making no mistake to notch his first MLS goal.

Almada’s battle with Wiley continued tit-for-tat, much to the chagrin of the visitors. Atlanta made it 4-0 in the 75th minute, with Almada casually scooping the ball from midfield in behind for Araújo to finish things off. A big win was officially a rout.

Portland pulled one back, but Almada wouldn’t let them leave without one more highlight-reel moment. This time, the 21-year-old received a pass from Derrick Etienne Jr., spinning around Larrys Mabiala before passing the ball out of the reach of a helpless Ivačič.

You should go ahead and schedule a window to watch Atlanta United at 7:30pm Eastern next Saturday, when they head north to face the Columbus Crew.

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