Luiz Araujo, Emerson Hyndman could be available off bench vs. FC Cincinnati

Atlanta United head coach Gonzalo Pineda gave good news this morning regarding the team’s injury, revealing that Luiz Araujo and Emerson Hyndman could return to the squad for Saturday’s game against FC Cincinnati.

Brazilian winger Araujo, who scored the team’s first goal in 2022, was dismissed just moments after suffering a hamstring tear. He has trained on the side individually with the medical staff for the past two weeks before returning to full team training this week. Pineda confirmed that the team will be patient with his return, considering that he is an “explosive” player who needs full strength and confidence in his muscles.

Hyndman is dealing with a different kind of comeback, having ruptured his ACL and in his knee last June. Hyndman wasn’t fully involved in training during prep, but he’s since joined the team for most of the regular season. Pineda noted that Hyndman is progressing well physically in addition to being one of the best players in training.

For Pineda, Hyndman is actually in a better position between the two for a bench formation. He added that with the team playing two games next week, the team may choose to put Araujo into a training session on Saturday rather than adding him to the tour squad. Regardless, it won’t be long before these two pivotal players are back in play.