The new team to beat in La Liga

SEVILLE, Spain – After two weeks of the Spanish season, the most convincing side in La Liga is not Barcelona, nor is it Real Madrid. It is Atletico Madrid, which enters the September international break with two wins in two games after Sunday's impressive 3-0 victory away to Sevilla.

While Barcelona has not exactly sputtered at the start, two 1-0 victories and a thin squad entirely won over hearts and minds. Rafa Benitez’s Real Madrid failed to earn a result against Sporting Gijon, and a couple points dropped against lesser opposition is generally what decides the league in Spain. That being said, Cristiano Ronaldo and his superstar cohorts promise to be in the mix since the Madrid derbies carry significant weight in the title race.

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The last time Real Madrid beat Atletico Madrid in La Liga, Jose Mourinho was with Real Madrid and Fernando Torres was with Chelsea. As much as the Clasicos against Barcelona snatch international headlines, Benitez’s performance against Diego Simeone in the local derby is equally important in his perception within the club. Despite lifting Real Madrid to the top of Europe, Carlo Ancelotti’s inability to claim supremacy in the Spanish capital eventually cost him his job.

For Simeone and Atletico, losing out to Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Champions League and losing out to Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey served to provide a platform to fortify and buy. Also finishing 16 points behind Barcelona in the league after winning La Liga only one season earlier gave Simeone license to go out and spend big.

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While Atleti made a host of signings, the biggest buy came in the form of Jackson Martinez from Porto, a player heavily rumored with a move to Arsenal. The Colombian striker has not yet fully adjusted to his new team, but judging by his wondrous strike on Sunday night, he should not take long to become a fan favorite once he secures his role and settles into the squad.

With Martinez, Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres, Atletico Madrid has a notably stronger stable of strikers than Real Madrid.

Crowning Atleti champions of Spain may be entirely too premature, but this team is off to the right start and looks like the best team in Spain after two rounds. Winning 3-0 away to Sevilla is no small feat considering the 2015 Europa League champions only lost one home match (a thrilling 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid) during the entire 2014-15 campaign across all competitions. Atleti nearly put four on Sevilla on Sunday night, but Griezmann’s late effort hit the wrong side of the post and stayed out.

As luck would have it, the third round of La Liga features Atletico Madrid hosting Barcelona, which could effectively be a championship six-pointer. If Atletico Madrid wants to cement its status and serve notice of its title intentions, a win over Barcelona this early in the season would go a long way to building confidence and also building a gap in the table. Unfortunately, that game will come on the heels of an international break, meaning it is two weeks away.

Until then and possibly well beyond, Atletico Madrid remains the best team in Spain.

Shahan Ahmed is a soccer columnist for Yahoo Sports. Follow Shahan on Twitter: @ShahanLA and @perfectpass