How Alan Franco has emerged as Atlanta United's defensive anchor

Since Gabriel Heinze was relieved from his duties as manager in mid-July, Alan Franco has started 17 of Atlanta United's 18 MLS matches.

During that time, the Five Stripes have lost just five games, picked up 10 of their 12 total season wins, and kept six clean sheets compared to three in the 13 games prior.

Despite being signed by Heinze, Franco struggled to adjust to life in MLS under his compatriot. The center-back was used sparingly and mostly cast into the fire at crucial times when Atlanta were trying to hold onto a result or had their backs against the wall. No matter how strong your character is, this is a situation nobody enjoys being thrown into.

It was unsurprising to see Franco often out of position and out of sorts. Many were left questioning how a center-back initially signed as a DP couldn't oust a homegrown (Miles Robinson) or one of the club's lower-paid players (Anton Walkes).

But Franco has now had time and, most importantly, trust. Rob Valentino and Gonzalo Pineda have made the Argentine a cornerstone piece in their 3-4-2-1/3-4-3 system, anchoring the defense and emerging as a real leader within the group. Pineda himself said as much following a 4-0 thrashing of FC Cincinnati in September.

"The most important part about my center-backs is how they defend with a lot of space behind them," the Mexican told reporters.

"That, for me, was the best part of Alan Franco. How he deals with one-v-one situations, he just regains the ball with the right angle, the right tackle, the right anticipation and he leads the other two (center-backs). That’s the type of center-back that I want for the team, someone with leadership, with a lot of spirit, with a lot of experience and can hold in that position as he did."

Indeed, in the post-Heinze era, Franco is second among Atlanta United players for tackles (26) and clearances (47), while he's first for interceptions (40) and aerial duels won - he's 19 and 17 clear of any other player in the latter two respective metrics.

According to Smarterscout's style ratings, which assigns a numerical value to player traits similar to those seen in the FIFA and Football Manager video games, Franco scores at 92/99 for ground duels out of possession, 96 for disrupting the opposition, and 91 for ball recovery. In the Five Stripes' most recent victory - 2-1 against Inter Miami - Franco put in a colossal defensive performance with four tackles, two interceptions, three clearances, and a match-high three aerial duels won.

And as Pineda alluded to, Franco can facilitate a high line with his pace and positional awareness allowing him to judge the space behind him. If Atlanta want to press high and hunt the ball, Franco can act as the rudder at the back, and if they want to bunker in and soak up pressure, he's more than cut out for hand-to-hand combat.

Aggressive, proactive, and measured; this is everything Atlanta United expected Franco to be upon his arrival.

Though Atlanta are far more direct under Pineda, hitting teams hard and fast in transition, they are still a side that like to dominate possession as much as possible. As such, the center-backs are often the ones tasked with moving the Five Stripes through the gears, whether through drawing the opponent onto them with passes around the defense, line-breaking balls up to the forward line, or carrying the ball upfield themselves, adding an extra body into the midfield.

Again, Franco has performed brilliantly here over the last few months. In the period following Heinze's dismissal, the defender ranks second among Atlanta United outfield players for successful passes (818) and long passes completed (44). Throughout the entire season, he's carried the ball for 142.7 yards per 90 minutes - sixth among his teammates.

Miles Robinson is arguably the best center-back in MLS and Anton Walkes has proved to be a steady option, too. But there was always a need for someone to knit the Atlanta United defense together, while looking at the long-term future, the club will likely have to start planning for life without Robinson beyond January.

After an initial struggle to adapt, Franco has emerged to tick all those boxes, offering solutions to a multitude of problems and ensuring Atlanta United will at worst be nasty and a nightmare to play against should they make the Playoffs.