Atlanta United just went down to Miami Fort Lauderdale and played a hell of a match that made feel feelings of joy and happiness IN A 3-1 WIN! Saba Lobjanidze deserved his two goals (and congratulations to the Georgian, by the way, as his goal cellies indicated he and his partner are pregnant!) and the team played some straight pretty soccer – completely against the recent run of form. Here are your final whistle thoughts after this wild match in south Florida against Inter Miami and Lionel Messi hahahahahahahaha!
GOALS!
I don’t even know where to start. Atlanta just looked spicy in this match. They looked crisp, clean, and disciplined. They held the ball when needed and transitioned with a purpose, and though the finishing wasn’t as precise as perhaps we’d all like, Atlanta did the work tonight and it was beautiful to watch.
You’ll never hear me say a bad thing about a performance like this, because the team dug deep, ON THE ROAD, and pulled out an entertaining, fun win. If the Five Stripes can pull this for the majority of the season on a somewhat consistent basis….count me in all day, every day.
Stian Gregersen, Derrick Williams, and Luis Abram
What else can be said, the defense in this game was massive. Sure, the greatest player in the world scored a goal (shocker) but the defense was stout. Stian Gregersen is a huge addition to this team – the stats prove that – but the return of Derrick Williams was so key. The pairing is massive, and Luis Abram was astounding, as well. Call it recency bias, but it’s tough to find something negative to harp on with this team in this match.
Going into the match, Atlanta has still been one of the better defensive sides in MLS, they just haven’t been scoring lately. Tonight, they struck the balance perfectly. The Five Stripes set up in a low-mid block and defended well while counterattacking with a purpose. And when they held possession, they played through Miami’s pressure with confidence.
I’ll take this kind of soccer day in and day out. It was fun, entertaining, and most importantly, it culminated in a win.
Give Gonzalo Pineda his credit
Don’t be shy. Sure, the chat lately has been very anti-Pineda. I get it, the head coach will always take the brunt of runs of form like Atlanta has had lately. But Atlanta United just went down to the Supporter’s Shield leaders consisting of Barcelona 2.0 and Lionel Messi with a slight change in formation and tactics and played them into a frenzy. Is it enough to fix the recent results?
Not mathematically. But it’s one of those games that could be a game changer for an entire season. It can’t be understated that this Atlanta United team traveled – which they suck doing – and won against the most stacked team in MLS. Period. I may be on a natural high right now but this wasn’t just a “scrounged out” win; this was a true performance. It looked different, and it felt different. This team has defenders that play big boy ball and it used them in the proper way tonight. It got the most out of the players on the sheet, and that’s huge.
Let us know what you thought of the match down below!
I find it interesting that there has only been one article since the Miami match. If we would have lost there would have been multiple articles bashing Pineda. It must pain them so much have to say something positive about Pineda and give him a rating higher than a 4.
looks like Slisz is out due to personal reason again tomorrow. Really curious what happened?
Pretty sure the word is he had something planned (trip or rest) for after his old team’s league ended. That’s the rumor at least
Wedding, I think
Any word yet on if they need to postpone tomorrow’s game due to the water issues?
I was downtown last night for a concert that was cancelled – was planning on going to the game but holding off on buying tickets u til tomorrow – don’t want to eat resale fees if the game is postponed/cancelled
My Take…good win!!!
we has better defense..having Gregson, and williams who know how to anticipate and tackle.. and having a quicker goalie were key factors.
What needs improving is mid field tackling, Lennon, Wiley, muyamba, and other mids need to do better at tackling not just shadowing and need to engage faster..and not allow the opponent to build or be Open so much
A couple of rambling thoughts:
1. Credit where it’s due: Pineda made the proper adjustments for this game. More importantly, it seemed like his game plan played directly to the strengths of our players in a way that allowed them to play naturally rather than playing while thinking about it. We looked like the Atlanta United I fell in love with, and that was really cool.
2. Soccer starts to look awfully simple when you’ve got a stout defense, some fast guys, a way to break lines whether by dribbling or passing, and someone who can put the ball in the net.
3. I was watching on my phone so didn’t see the game thread, but did anyone discuss how much more comfortable Cohen is with the ball at his feet than Guz? It felt like we had an extra man in possession on our end and I felt like was a huge contributor to allowing us to open up more space when we were playing out of the back. I love Guz, but i really think that Cohen just brings more to the team right. now.
4. If Almada plays like that the rest of the year it will have been the best possible season in which he stunk it up and avoided a summer transfer, then we sell him for big bucks in the off season.
I need to see more to understand whether this was a one off incidence in which Pineda read the book on how to beat Miami and our players were playing with their backs against the wall, or we really have started putting something together, but that could be the start of a nice run.
Re point 3:
I would love to see more of Cohen. Though at the same time, Miami works hard to win the ball back, but they dont really have the legs for a NYRB end to end press. So I dont think Cohen was ever under that much pressure. I think we need more data points, and I hope he gets a chance.
Just my opinion: on the away match, Cincinnati’s header does not happen with Cohen: he cuts that loopy cross off. The LAFC red card doesn’t happen either, Cohen is much quicker. I would almost say the Nashville penalty also falls into that category. Cincinnati’s tying goal when we played at home, I think Cohen doesn’t hesitate to cut off the ball. Obviously, these are after the fact observations and highly speculative, but from I’ve seen so far, Cohen needs to start on Sunday but Pineda has a way of waiting too long to make decisions. I’ll probably get downvoted to the bottom of the barrel but we will see.
I think your underestimating how much this crowd really loves Guzan…and wants to see him retire
I get it but what is best for the team? We can do a retirement party at end of season for him, he’s had a great career.
no….I think we’re on your side
we love you brad. it’s been great. the bench is over there.
Cold
The truth sometimes is.
Nah, a lot of us agree with you 100%. Cohen is a lot more spry than Guz (which makes sense because he’s 8 years younger), but surprisingly I think Guz has better distribution..
Always love Guz. Definitely want Cohen to start, but I don’t think it happens unless Brad gets hurt again.
as much as a lot of people might not like it, but Guzan has earned the right to start for as long as he wants to. He definitely has been better at distributing the ball from the back. But also agree that Cohen is better off starting for us regularly.
Let’s say Cohen does get the nod and becomes the starter. What will we yell when he makes a save or simply touches the ball? Well? Anybody?
That’s what I thought. Let’s think these things through before we make hasty decisions that may have unintended consequences.
Joooooosh
Sorry, but no one has the right to start as long as they want to. There comes a point where the play just isn’t good enough to justify starting him.
I don’t think Guz is at the point where his play makes it obvious he can’t be out there anymore, but that doesn’t mean that Cohen should only play cup games and when Brad is hurt/suspended.
I’ll go one step further. The first Philly goal we gave up and one of the Cincinnati goals in home outing do not happen either if Cohen is in goal. Both of them happened on the near right side of Guzan which should have been better protected since scoring on the other side was almost impossible from that angle and there was no threat on the box for a pass.
I think Guz will start Sunday, regardless. I also think Cohen should be the one starting. He won’t, in no small part (IMHO) because Guz wears the armband and is a good leader that Pineda doesn’t want to undermine.
Re: Guz
I thought Guz was done, and said if he legitimately beat out Cohen for the starting job, that would mean that Cohen was a bad signing.
Guz has proven to me he is not what he once was, but he’s not quite done yet either – he has been much better than I thought he would be. That said, I don’t believe he legitimately beat out Cohen for the job.
I think he’s the starter in significant part because he was the starter before he got hurt. Some coaches have that philosophy – you don’t lose a job because of injury – and maybe Pineda is one who believes that. That’s not to say Guz would have been the starter no matter what – he’s played well enough where it’s clear he’s not orders of magnitude worse than Cohen, so starting him is defensible. But I do think Cohen is better, and has looked better in the 2 games we’ve seen him (not counting the preseason stuff). But since Guz is team captain, I think it’s unlikely Cohen starts the next game.
Yes, Pineda’s strategy against Miami worked very well, and he deserves credit for that. I just don’t understand why that doesn’t happen more often if he’s really a good coach and tactician. Hopefully he learned something from that game that will carry forward, but I remain skeptical.
Shocked, but skeptical they can replicate the performance consistently.
Congatulations, Atlantistas! The gods of football chose you. I thought that a) Atlanta defended quite well; b) Miami was trying too many touches, too much artistry, and it did not work against a well-positioned defense c) Miami defended horribly d) Soviet mechanic can run and score from mid distance (I do feel that their goalkeeper, who I do not feel has what it takes, accepted the first goal)
I still did not see any style, or philosophy in Atlanta´s football, but if that was that essential, the Greeks would still rule the world. I saw that the other leader, Cincinnati, also lost at home to a team well below. The gods of football have this strange sense of humor, don´t they?
Tata out-coached.
Dunno. Tata did not get the team to work right, that is a fact.
Well, sometimes good teams lose. The loss will make Tata fix some of the problems they have and Atlanta exposed them.
“Soviet mechanic can run and score from mid distance”
I love you Marcelo lol
He looked like Georgia Arjen Robben last night (but without the excessive shit-housery).
Good comparison. Both lack any elegance, but make up in charm.
It seemed a game of patience and endurance as much as style.
We had the fastest player on the field matched up against Jordi Alba. Almada ran circles around Busquets. There was no resistance the last 30 minutes if we could break the first line. We honestly should have scored more. It was a training ground for attacking players the last 15 minutes.
The weird thing is that other teams will play us like we played Miami. I think dealing with that will be the theme of the rest of the season.
I think Miami did not bother enough with thinking about Atlanta, taking Atlanta seriously, and paid the price. But, this also happens with teams that have been winning a series of games. They disconnect, and pay.
Don’t know about you guys but Almada needs to be used like Lucho or Messi, just like we did last night. We can benefit more with him attacking and giving him the freedom to roam. Almada drifting to the left as a winger and Wiley providing support is more effective than keeping him centrally located or asking him to start all the way from our defensive third.
I also think that Cohen should start. I’m impressed by his quickness, positioning and athleticism. Also not afraid to cut crosses off; Guz can be a good backup.
Thiare played a heck of a game; don’t know if GG can maintain that pace for a full 90+ minutes, so having both is great.
Saba has not been taken advantage of; his speed has been way under utilized.
so maybe our coach is discovering the strengths of our players
If I remember correctly, Saba had the fastest max speed during the match yesterday at 20.5 mph, so his speed is definitely under utilized.
Just throw the long pass and let him run under it, like a wide receiver. Do that a few times and give the opposing defense some food for thought.
c’mon man…that’s not possession!
Don’t you count “ball air time” as part of possession?
This I agree with. Almada needs to be free to roam and attack like Cucho. We need to play more through balls into channels and spaces and less tiki taki close space give and goes. (Look! I’m criticizing tactics!)
All of that is predicated on having a back line that stays composed and organized. We see that when we have at least one of Gregerson or Williams on the field. Without them the back line gets stretched and relies too much on athleticism to chase down runners (a core failing of youth) and that bottles up the attackers from being willing to bomb forward.
I feel the issue with Almada is that he just doesn’t bring the style he brought last night on a consistent basis regardless of where he’s technically positioned. He needs coaching to be told to play as aggressive and assertive as he played last night. He could truly benefit from a more experienced and senior coach that could demand the best out of him instead of a “pal” like GP that is probably more of a nice, caring, guy, but not the ruthless leader you need to drive the best out of your superstars
Well, he has to do try to do what the coach tells him and I think the coach tells him to play farther back and initiate play “from the back”. Just my opinion but that how he’s been playing this year until last night. He’s also had not real break…
Coach Pinada talked about how they used Thiare when prompted by J Sam Jones in the post-match press conference last night. He said that their plan for Thiare was to harass and press the heck out of Busquets to keep him off balance and to create separation between Thiare and the Miami back line. It seems to have worked since they did not look comfortable building out of the back and we had a lot of opportunities to run at the centerbacks while they were backpeddling towards their own goal. That’s a great way to keep an opponent off balance and stretch an opponent’s formation to create a lot of space between their back line and their attacking group. That also opens up room for Almada and Saba to run.
I believe the reason our team looked as good as they did last night is that we finally had room to receive the ball, pick our heads up, and advance through a dribble or a pass. We rarely have that kind of space or time without an immediate challenge. When these guys get to play as athletes and run downhill at opponents, they can be fantastic, but when they are restrained by a compact opposing defense/press or by tactics, they become stagnant and frustrated.
I also like the attitude Almada has brought to the team in his last 1.5 matches. These guys are playing hungry and angry with a kind of us-against-the-world fight that we haven’t seen as a positive motivator in a while.
Your 2nd paragraph is exactly why I am controlling my expectations. We have always performed well when given space but struggle when pressed.
I think that’s fair. If we can do this again this weekend against a more aggressively pressing team like Charlotte, we can be cautiously optimistic.
Of our next 6 matches, 4 (Charlotte, @DC, Toronto, @New England) are against teams that are close to us in the table so I think we could reset the season a bit with a good run of form. The other two matches are against Houston and St. Louis which will be tough since both teams are in a similar place to where we are as good teams that are underperforming.
A highly unlikely win can certainly turn fortunes…what once looked like a tough run of games now looks like we could make a run.
vs. Charlotte
vs. Houston
at DC
at St Louis
vs. Toronto
at New England
all of those games are very winnable….if Pineda, like Joshua, is able to learn before the clock strikes zero.
Let’s beat Charlotte first.
I said ‘if he learns’…..that’s not exactly likely
Copa America starts on June 20 so we will likely be missing at least Abram for DC, St. Louis, Toronto, and New England since Almada and Wiley are going to the Olympics instead. UEFA Euros start on June 14th so Slisz and maybe Saba will be missing from Houston through Toronto at least.
This is actually a tangent of mine that I don’t think is utilized enough by United, or anyone for that matter…why not get the 30th best player from Spain or France? That guy is still a super DP, but isn’t going to miss games for Euro’s or the Olympics.
Given the schedule idiocy of MLS, that would give you a big advantage for not short stretches of the season….over teams like us.
This 100%. Or the 40th best players from Brazil and Argentina.
Having both Williams and Gregersen finally back and starting was huge. Two smart, experienced CBs who both have technical ability and don’t make many positional mistakes is a luxury in MLS.
Miami did not seem as aggressive at trying to dispossess us as they normally are. They were a bit listless defensively.
Almada was like a new player. I mean where the hell has that level of play been all year. He was on fire. His $$ value jumped back up last night. Charlotte will be hacking him all Sunday.
Well, I won’t talk about the injuries but rather the possession. Well, in the games that we were dominating this year, WE HAD LESS THAN 50% POSSESSION. PINEDA USE YOUR BRAIN. Sorry just got a bit mad there.
Atl 4- New England -1 : 44%vs56%
Atl 2- Orlando- 0 :42%vs58%
Atl-3 Chicago- 0: 51%vs49%
Do you see the trend? In our big wins of the year, we have had significantly less possession OR almost shared it 50-50. I think this really shows you how differently we play when we are playing counter-attacking football…
Why do I feel like every year we go into a slump, switch to a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3, play much better, but then have the coach revert back? As far as I can recall, this has happened every year for the past ~4 or so.
Pineda really does not like playing with 3 CBs, although he will sometimes do it near the end of matches to protect a lead. I think that’s the main reason the team doesn’t stay with 3 CBs.
Any coach who uses 3 at the back is labeled as “pragmatic,” which is viewed as a death knell for some reason. Coaches can’t be pragmatic, they have to be inventive, dynamic, on the front foot, incorporating their own innovative system. Certainly not just something that works really well.
Yeah, we have had this happening for quite some time. Last year it occurred with Philly when they were like “the untouchable team.” Now it happened with Messi and his Barca boys. I really do think it is so much better, to play in this system. It may have not worked so well last year because our defense wasn’t the best. But, I think it could (and would) really work this year as long as we stay healthy in the back.
Another thing I love about this back 3 system is that it gives Lennon and Wiley so much more freedom to go and find the game and not have to worry as much about defensive responsibility. They can be far more attacking minded. With Wiley’s pace, he can really be dangerous on the counter as we saw yesterday. With Lennon, well, with a guy whipping in crosses like he is Julian Gressel, I say you get him wide in the areas where he can do that as much as possible.
This is the way. “We” have spoken.
3-4-3 or 3-4-1-2 is not perfect for every roster. you need wingbacks that can cover the entire touch line. a 10 that is uber creative. and a 9 that can finish in traffic…….those just happen to be our strengths.
it also takes so much pressure off the CB’s and CDM’s when you have that cover in the middle of the field.
And with Slisz gone for a while, less pressure on the defense is a good thing.
dax and fortune are more than capable imo
I don’t think we need have 3 at the back every game. I think we need to be able to implement it effectively when it’s needed, but there are teams and situations when it’s not necessary.
At the beginning of the season I was worried about our CB depth, but Williams has been stellar, Abram has been decent/good (if overpaid) and Cobb (and even Morales) have proven that they are capable enough depth pieces. It’s probably our deepest position at this point.
Yes and no. 3 at the back is not the cure-all you’re making it out to be. Last year (and I think the year before that) 3 at the back worked for like 2-4 games before starting to show its weak points of giving up the midfield, and not being able to push forward, because our midfield still sucked.
That said, with this current roster, I actually think it might be the way to go. our CBs have proven to have pretty good depth, despite maybe initial expectations, so we have enough to go a back 3. It allows both Wiley and Lennon to bomb forward way more often and play their strengths. Our starting midfielders now have enough quality that we can rely on just the two of them to hold it, or to go to a 3-5-2 and still have almada in the midfield for extra support/buildup, and our wingers/strikers have the quality and versatility to play inside or outside.
This is all dependent however on continuing to play like we did against miami. I suspect that 3-4-3 will have an even harder time breaking down the low-block 5 at the back we’ve been seeing lately. I think in order to have success against those, we need to really rely on transition moments, and playing direct. 3 at the back can help create those moments more often I think, but only if we play that way. If we try to break them down with slow methodical possession, I think the new formation will only make that harder.
If they’re sitting deep you shift to 3-4-1-2 so you can attack 3-2-5 or 3-2-1-4. It’s not perfect against the bunker, because nothing is, but you can at least use Lennon and Wiley for width and then work your way into the middle……you could also run a GG / Thiare tandem up top and play the (low percentage) cross game.
Booooooooooo, we did not win the possession trophy.
We’re 3-1-0 this season when we lose possession battle and 1-3-7 when we win it. That’s a pretty clear pattern.
Wow.
Pineda, please use your brain. You have it in there.
We have the defense to absorb pressure. We have the attack to go counter and find goals. That is the Atlanta way of playing. With Tata that’s what brought 50,000 plus people inside of the stadium. Bring this style of football back PLEASE. I’M BEGGING YOU.
And this was the clearest example of it. Hopefully it’s enough for Pineda to see it and tweak formations and tactics when it’s called for.
Yeah, maybe this shows Pineda there are different ways to win. My biggest concern now is: did he learn something? Can he adjust now to play at home? Was this just a fluke?
let’s all show up Sunday and see.
until we win at home, it could be just a fluke…
Could there be a more improbable way to get a win and break the streak? 9 games without a win, going against a fully stacked and health Miami, on the road in the heat and humidity, on grass (i jest)… who predicted that one?
Probably gonna be another episode of downvotes for me, but I just dont understand how you can broadly say that injuries dont matter. I mean, if they dont matter in terms of your opinion on Pineda, that seems totally reasonable and I’m sorry for your sake we won. But if you’re saying injuries have no impact our team’s chances of winning, ever, that seems a bit silly to me.
It sounds like you’re just tired of acknowledging the injury situation at all because its been used in the past to excuse poor performance. Again, I cant blame you for that, especially if the narrative was that Pineda should get extended because we play good when everyone is healthy. I see the narrative more as “I wish we didnt have as many injuries to contend with but Pineda has still disappointed overall this season.”
Fortunately, we do have great depth for Guzan, GG, and Slisz.
But we have limited depth at CB and on the wing. If Derrick Williams is unable to go, we have the option of either replacing him with Cobb, leaving Morales and Hernandez as the only other options on the bench, or abandoning the 3-4-3 entirely for this match.
This singular result doesnt change anything about Pineda’s future going into next season. It might help him get to the end of the season. Only time will tell.
Are you concerned Pineda is going to get a new contract, or frustrated he hasnt already been fired?
Yeah, “injuries don’t matter” is silly.
Yeah, it is no small coincidence that the return of Williams and Greg led to our defense being solid. Look at the results at the start of the season when they were both healthy, look at what happened when they were out, and look at last night.
When they’re out, we’ve been forced to start a child.
Injuries do matter
But every team has them
An inability to manage around them is not an excuse for a lack of success over the course of the season
He says “injuries don’t matter” because he’d rather lose every match than have Pineada return next year. That’s his personal priorities from what I can tell.
Injuries obviously matter. Injuries where you’re deep (attacking talent) matter less than injuries where you’re thin (center backs.) The difference between this team when it’s good, and this team when it is bad, has been Stian Gregerson’s availability.
I also think Pineda is / was stuck in his ways and was trying to stuff square pegs in round holes…..but man, if he can adapt? And the players play for him? Then it’s FAR easier to keep him than try and find another dude to come in and start from the beginning.
I don’t think CB is a weakness. Far from it. If you put Cobb – Stian – Morales in a line of 3, I think they would do great. It’s just a matter of being in an uncovered 2 CB formation with wingers who are allergic to defense and a 10 who isn’t the best at tracking back.
There is not a day I will not root for Atlanta United to win every game by 10.
I think the idea that replacing veteran defenders with 18 year olds – regardless of how skilled those kids may be – has no impact on stoutness and performance is insane. The idea that experience doesn’t matter just doesn’t scan.
I’m also hesitant to think a shift to a 3-man backline is some sort of cure-all for what ails. Part of last night’s dominance was its unexpectedness. Miami had clearly drilled all week to play ATL’s normal 2-5-3 and were out of sorts with the shifted shape. I think if you lock into that every game teams will adjust quickly.
I understand that a lot of you think managerial tactics is the most important element of any soccer game. I don’t. Downvote me all you want, but a manager’s primary job is putting the best XI available on the pitch in a form that suits them. That’s just metrically easier when your best players are not hurt. Saying “injuries don’t matter” is just dumb.
“but a manager’s primary job is putting the best XI available on the pitch in a form that suits them”
Isn’t that part of managerial tactics?
Sure. But it’s driven by availability. And that means injuries matter.
Sure, but if availability is the issue, don’t you think you device a plan that minimizes the weakness created by the injuries? Maybe you do play a low block when our CB’s are hurt instead of trying to play like “injuries don’t matter” or thinking “we can dominate through possession” even if we have big holes in our defense. It’s a well known fact in MLS you have to play without your best “11” a lot of times; especially when Pineda knows this, coming from Seattle where the’ve always had to play through lots of injuries. I hope this lesson sinks in.
I’m not sure a low block with Luis Abram being the most tenured CB available, for a full 90 minutes of Cucho Hernandez, or LAFC, or Leo fucking Messi poking at it constantly, is going to be better than playing your best players upfield and trying to out score and defend the midfield. Low blocks get hammered with opportunities from the opposition, and I’m not sold that one built from 18 year olds and 5’11 Luis Abram is going to bend but not break.
I said mid-table team not a top 4 or 5 team. Just saying Pineda has not adjusted formation based on player availability or opposing team’s tactics. I think everybody would agree with that.
I definitely agree generally speaking. That said, to have both starting CBs out and to switch to 3CBs would have left us with literally no CB depth in many games other than Hernandez, who Pineda was crucified for using when we dropped points to Cincy (perhaps rightfully so for not going with Morales in hindsight, but thats not a choice he would have had starting in a back 3).
I’ll also add that the injuries have exposed our weakness at fullback depth.
Hernandez is a reasonable depth piece at fullback but we cant expect him to be both the number 1 fullback sub and the emergency CB.
This is a fair point. With 2 of 5 CB’s down, it’s tough to trust your luck and play your remaining 3 CBs every game.
That being said, I would theorize that the difference between Williams and Cobb / Morales in a 3 back set is not as huge as one might assume. 2 back? More space and responsibility? Sure. But I would be curious to see how cobb / morales run out with Stian and the 3 CB set as cover.
I think that back 3 could work against say the Chicago fire but its a different situation entirely against the top teams.
CB was a strength at the start of the season and is now. But not so much when we were missing both Stian and Williams.
That said, given our lack of quality depth on the wing when Silva was out, switching to a 3-4-3 and pushing Almada to free roaming “winger” makes sense and I wish we would have seen it sooner.
But at the same time, there were some games where that would have meant Abram Cobb and Morales were those 3, and Hernandez would be your only sub for your 3 CBs and wingers backs.
If the ends of the spectrum are “Pineda is a fool for not having gotten more creative sooner” and “injuries are the entire reason we have underperformed”, I’d say the reality is somewhere in the middle.
All that said, our position in the table still speaks for itself.
This is a reasonable position. I think we may have been oversold by Mosquera’s hot run of form on his return last year. If the choice is Almada pinned in the midfield and Mosquera on the wing, or McCarty in the midfield and Muyumba distributing, with Almada on the wing, I take the latter every time.
Mosquera has 1v1 ability but his soccer IQ is close to zero. This is where coaching comes into play. Coach him to pass the ball and have endless shooting practices. He’s not gonna get better otherwise
I hear what all of you are saying that injuries can’t just be an excuse every time. I agree they can’t be used as an excuse when evaluating a manager over the course of 3 years.
But if we remove the Pineda element from the conversation, can you seriously say with a straight face that we should have equal chances of success with Noah Cobb as Derrick Williams against the team with the most firepower in MLS? Isnt a seasoned veteran just what the doctor ordered against a team like Inter Miami?
Also Im not sure what you are thinking I said was a personal attack. Nor would I classify my own spin on the game or Pineda as that of a Pineda lover.
Great win. Spilled drinks on each goal. Some take homes for me: Cohen should start; Almada should be deployed as an attacker and let him roam around; Muyumba is much better when he feels somebody is covering his back and has the freedom to attack. Tonight’s formation maximized our player’s strengths. Hope Pineda learned something.
Thought the same thing. Strong defense and quick transitions helped unlock the attack. I haven’t seen it this creative in a long time.
I think this game validates all corners of the fan base.
1. Injuries do matter. Thats NOT an excuse for just how far we’ve fallen. But for this game, I think its a different story if we dont get Derrick Williams back.
2. We ARE capable of outperforming our team salary spend, and can’t ignore that fact in other games when we are playing teams spending roughly the same as us. I would argue the injuries really hurt us against top teams, but shouldnt be dealbreakers against middle and lower table teams.
3. Pineda outperformed Tata on the day. HOWEVER, why hasnt he been able to do so more consistently? Taylor Twellman said it best. Having a supposed balanced roster means there should be pragmatic games and 60% possession games. This is the most pragmatic I’ve seen the team play under Pineda, which is nice for today but frustrating that we havent seen more games like it.
Overall, IF the club was scrambling to make a mid season coaching change, that might get paused, but only momentarily. Two home wins against Charlotte and Houston gives us a chance we can get back to 4-seed striking distance.
For my own sanity, I cant help but cling onto that glimmer of hope and just take it one game at a time.
I personally think it’s more than a glimmer of hope. I think that with a set of realistic, and expected outcomes, we’ll be sitting fine at end of season. I don’t think we’re lifting any trophies this year, and I don’t think we’re at the level we should be. But MLS is a crapshoot, so who knows.
Top 4 is going to be very difficult at this point. We have to make up 10+ points on teams above us. Not impossible, but not easy, especially in a conference that has Miami, Columbus, and Cinci… I really hope this game is a turning point, but it’s hard to have long-term optimism when we know that this team is capable of going 10 games winless.
But the flip side of that is now we know that this team is capable of going anywhere and beating anyone. And that’s not nothing.
No Guzan, no Slisz, no GG, no Silva, no problem.
Is Silva injured again? I was expecting to see him come on instead of Mosquera..
Where are all the Pineda haters now? “crickets chirping”
If he keeps this formation then yes. If he doesn’t then… I’m sorry but he is just kinda dumb.
He just needs to be flexible and take what the opposing team gives him. I’ve felt the players were straight jacked into a formation that didn’t maximize each player’s strengths.
Kinda dumb comment
Yeah to be fair, I’ve had a bit of a stinker with that one. But what I really meant was keeping the style of play we saw today. In another comment on this article, I put possession stats in our big wins. You can see that we have had less possession than normal in those big wins. Why can’t we keep on doing that if we see it works?
A formation of 3 in the back helps to absorb pressure and then go and counter attack like we saw last night.
Nobody hates Pineda. He is a lovely person from what I can tell.
All sane people hate his results this year.
Well said. I think a lot of us just were/are out of patience. We just want to look more organized in attack and win some games. Last night was a truly good result with truly good play. That’s one in the last 10 games, though.
#pineadaout, it was a great game and finally a formation/tactical change and the players balled out however GP is not the coach moving forward he’s been at the helm for to long and has shown to little, we were earmarked for a 4th place finish this year and we’re almost basement dwellers.
It’s not crickets chirping… it’s just the first in 10 games where we actually hear birds singing and see rainbows.
I am super excited and happy for this result tonight. It was a HUGE Win! Having said that, and I think even Pineda would agree, we need to see a true turn around the corner. One W in 10 games, although against the best team in MLS, isn’t enough percentage of the whole to say otherwise at this juncture.
Let’s keep this up and be consistent in effort and team unity, and then those crickets can be silenced for good!
It was a bittersweet win of sorts. Who is the third player you are referencing other than presumably McCarty and Cohen? Thiare? And are you suggesting he should have been playing more instead of GG or that Pineda should have tried harder to implement a 2 striker system?
I do wish we would have seen McCarty a little sooner. The Cohen/Guz situation is more of a tossup to me. Brad has had a decent season prior to the red. Just curious if you have a specific suggestion for player #3 or lamenting Pineda’s general lack of creativity.
We had 3 players on the field riding the bench due to players being out (Guz, Sliltz) and other players coming back from injuries (GG). So it’s not that his selection of players was so good, it was the change in formation and strategy that made the difference.
We are 12th in the standings through 15 games. Is that good enough for you? It’s not good enough for me. Last night was a great win, but it doesn’t undo the prior body of work. Perhaps Pineda has learned something about how this team should be playing. We weren’t possessing to possess and forcing play out of the back nearly as much as usual. We were absorbing with 3 CBs and countering like hell. A lot of posters (myself included) have been hoping to see AUFC at least try this. The roster is well-suited for it. Maybe it took desperation on Pineda’s part, or the players just took what Miami was giving them. We will see on Saturday whether it was a one-off or a true shift in approach. I’m actually skeptical until I see it a few more times.
FWIW, I’ve wanted Pineda out, but I want the team to win over all. If there is a real shift and this team goes on a major run to vault into the middle or even top of the playoffs, that’s great. Anything less, and he should be fired. Will you be back if we drop points to CLT on Sunday? I’ll be here regardless of the result.
One game of competence does NOT a trend make. I’m still #bocaout and #pinedaout. However, should this turn the season around, I could change my mind…but I doubt that will happen based on Pineda’s track record the past three seasons.
If Pineda rides the same tactics and formation to smack Charlotte at home, then we could be on to something.
Some thoughts during and after the match
We need to fix the finishing
Creating more high-quality chances helps finishing, IMO.
Maybe this falls under your #4, but it needs to be said that Gregerson and Williams are super important. Studs, both.
They are both so perfect for each other. And while individually, they are still amazing players, I just feel both of their games compliment each other so well. Williams is a good carrier of the ball, but last night, we also saw that Gregersen could do it as well. Williams tends to be safer in his defending, and this gives Gregersen the opportunity to step out of the back line and make tackles like we saw him do yesterday against Miami.
Well, they have experience but to me the biggest impact was the formation. It gave our midfielders more freedom and confidence to move up. Pineda’s adjustment was a huge deal, unfortunately he’s said many times he doesn’t want to play like this
As I said above, if he continues with this formation – or a variation of it – then we will be on to something.
~ frees up Wiley and Lennon to attack down the touch lines
~ frees up CDM’s to roam forward and join in attack
~ provides constant coverage with 3 CBs, quickly joined by CDMs and WBs
~ frees up Almada to roam touch line to touch line under GG and Saba / Xande
We’ll just need to continue creating chances, and he might stick with it.
44% Possession. I hope for y’all this win was worth such a heavy cost.
Well played, sir.
Felt like a loss, TBH…
Yeah, that’s often what happens when playing from ahead and protecting a lead just like the Orlando match. When you’re playing from behind you often end up with more possession as opposition defends. Context matters…always.
You know you can go to the MLS site and look at the possession breakdown by 5 minute intervals. And given that we didn’t even have a lead till the very end of the first half, you can get a good idea how the team was doing possession battle without a lead.
And if you want to say context matters, maybe look at the context of this team’s typical “style” over the past 3.5 years and the words straight out of Pineda’s mouth.