  The so-called conformal affine Toda theory coupled to the matter fields
(CATM), associated to the $\hat{sl}(2)$ affine Lie algebra, is studied. The
conformal symmetry is fixed by setting a connection to zero, then one defines
an off-critical model, the affine Toda model coupled to the matter (ATM). The
quantum version of this reduction process is discussed by means of the
perturbative Lagrangian viewpoint, showing that the ATM theory is a
spontaneously broken and reduced version of the CATM model. We show, using
bosonization techniques that the off-critical theory decouples into a
sine-Gordon model and a free scalar. Using the "dressing" transformation method
we construct the explicit forms of the one and two-soliton classical solutions,
and show that a physical bound soliton-antisoliton pair (breather) does not
exist. Moreover, we verify that these solutions share some features of the
sine- Gordon (massive Thirring) solitons, and satisfy the classical equivalence
of topological and Noether currents in the ATM model. Imposing the Noether and
topological currents equivalence as a constraint, one can show that the ATM
model leads to a bag model like mechanism for the confinement of the U(1)
"color" charge inside the sine-Gordon solitons (baryons).
