Russian national team midfielder Alexei Miranchuk received an unpleasant blow from his own club in the USA.
Alexey Miranchuk / Photo: © Social networks of FC Atlanta United
The Russian just recently moved to MLS, but has already become one of the leaders of Atlanta United and has made a huge number of fans fall in love with him. Largely thanks to his efforts, the team advanced to the second round of the playoffs and is a contender for the title. Only the respect of the fans is not reflected in the actions of the club, which for some reason ignored Miranchuk’s nationality.
If Atlanta is so afraid of Russia, what was the point of inviting Alexey to the team at all?
Came to success in the USA
Moving the Russian midfielder to MLS from the Italian Championship initially did not seem like a logical option. It seemed that Miranchuk had become quite comfortable in Italian football and was, if not the leading player in Atalanta and Torino, then certainly not a deaf “can-doer” whom no one counts on. But Alexey wanted to change the situation, to which he, of course, had every right.
The ex-Lokomotiv football player set off to conquer America and, admittedly, was noticeably successful. He already has three goals and four assists, and most of these actions had a direct impact on the final scores in the matches. Miranchuk first helped Atlanta get into the playoffs when there was practically no chance. And then, together with his United partners, he created a real sensation in the confrontation with Inter Miami, led by Lionel Messi.
Few people bet on Miranchuk’s team in this battle, but Atlanta pulled it off and made it to the quarterfinals, where they will play with another team from the state of Florida, Orlando City. Despite the upcoming important matches, Alexey happily responded to Valery Karpin’s invitation and flew across the world to Russia to participate in friendly matches against the teams of Brunei and Syria.
Alexey Miranchuk / Photo: © RFU
Atlanta’s actions are a causeless shame
Atlanta decided to celebrate the departure of several players to national teams. However, for some reason the club did not depict the Russian flag in Miranchuk’s photograph on social networks and on the official website. It is curious that Efrain Morales from Bolivia also suffered the same unenviable fate. If with the latter the reasons are not very clear, then in the situation with the Russian everything looks quite transparent.
Obviously, the club is afraid of a reaction by displaying the Russian flag for everyone to see, which will only discredit themselves. Moreover, this is not the first such case. Back in early September, Atlanta did not indicate the Russian flag next to Alexey’s photo before the match with Charlotte. Then even the account of our national team responded, noting that the USA “forgot something important.”
Of course, Miranchuk himself did not like this state of affairs, who is said to have expressed some dissatisfaction. Apparently, this was not enough for the people from Atlanta; they stubbornly try to ignore the Russian nationality. If they don’t want to associate themselves with Russia, then why was it necessary to sign a contract with the player?
It’s nice that American fans supported Alexey and expressed bewilderment why Atlanta showed such disrespect for their own footballer. I would like to believe that this is not a rhetorical question, and the club will still give an adequate answer.
