Great win for Atlanta United on Sunday night/early Monday morning ET. Atlanta have struggled away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium, so to pick up a win across the country against a Seattle Sounders side that has struggled to maintain form is especially appealing.
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I (or Tyler or Tommy) will try to do write-up at the end of every match called “Three Points” (since we are a soccer podcast) where I highlight three quick thoughts from the match that was. Here goes:
Giorgos Giakoumakis is good
A pair of goals for Giako gives him 12 for the season, putting him, at least for the moment, one back of Nashville SC’s Hany Mukhtar for the Golden Boot lead. As if Saturday’s match against the Leagues Cup runners-up wasn’t worth watching in the first place.
The second goal looked Josef-esque. Just a perfect ball from Thiago Almada, with Giakoumakis doing the rest. Tough not to be optimistic about that pairing as it continues to click.
Xande Silva had a nice start
He didn’t get on the scoresheet, but it was a strong debut for Xande Silva on the wing for Atlanta United.
He’ll need time to gain chemistry with his forward partners, but as he does, he should prove to be just what Atlanta needed. Gonzalo Pineda has spoken numerous times about the wing play, and Silva will be a major piece of the puzzle.
Atlanta United’s nerve was tested, but it got out with a win
So many times, we’ve seen Atlanta United throw points away at the very end. And it could have done just that as Seattle began to gather some momentum in the second half.
Ultimately, the other shoe never dropped and it claimed not only three points, but a clean sheet for Brad Guzan, his sixth of the season. It’s a win to build on especially with Saba Lobjanidze’s visa in and him presumably being available for selection on Saturday against Nashville SC. The prospect of a Giakoumakis-Saba-Thiago Almada-Xande Silva forward corps sounds very appealing.