Well, Lionel Messi stopped eating weird pizza long enough to make the trip to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and HE PLAYED! To be fair, it was the second time Messi appeared in the stadium, after this summer’s Copa America, but it’s a miracle he even made the trip at all considering his recent injury situation. Regardless, Atlanta United came from behind twice to draw 2-2, but look quite pretty in the final 20 minutes of the match. This one easily could’ve ended 3-2 Atlanta if not for Drake Callender making some absolute clutch saves. Here are the final whistle thoughts after an interesting show in front of a fully-opened stadium!
Giving up first goals
I don’t have the stats for this right now, but historically one of Atlanta’s greatest benefits to playing in the Benz was scoring early and making teams chase. That’s where the crowd truly became a massive factor and teams dreaded having to fight an uphill battle.
None of that matters if you don’t score first in your own stadium. The Five Stripes started off fairly well – at least compared to last Saturday – but it would be a half hour before Miami inevitably struck. We’ve all heard the adage “goals change games,” which I hate to hear because duh, but Atlanta often finds it incredibly difficult to dig out of a hole. One would hope that they could do this more often at home, but it’s just so rare nowadays that the squad gives themselves a home field advantage.
Miami took advantage early and then made it more difficult for Atlanta as the match drew on – until they didn’t. Atlanta finally found that extra gear late, and it was enough to draw the game, and almost win it. But still…don’t give up the first goals.
Crosses
Caveat in real time…Atlanta scored their first goal of the night after I typed this next paragraph. I dunno if it’s the “even a blind squirrel finds a nut” scenario or what, but it just feels good to watch a goal in front of a fully open Benz again. That being said….please read below.
I brought it up the other day and unfortunately have to do so again. Lately it feels like crosses are where Atlanta’s attack goes to die. Don’t get me wrong, they were better tonight than they were against Nashville, but they still weren’t good. So many are sent sailing wildly over the box, and it’s a coin toss as to who’s going to show up inside the box to try and get on the end of one. Atlanta has a DP number 10 in Alexey Miranchuk who absolutely needs to focus more on driving the ball through the spine, even if it’s simply to provide the wings a split-second longer to line up a better ball. Additionally, Atlanta’s lack of set piece goals this season is simply disturbing, but it all comes from the same aspect of the game: bad service.
Second caveat in real time: the crosses have somewhat improved.
Third caveat in real time: who needs crosses when you have Miranchuk.
Hold a lead
To be fair, the free kick goal to Miami shortly after Atlanta tied the game at 1-1 was one of those unfortunate, flukey goals. However, it was a goal nonetheless, and it did nothing for the “Atlanta can’t hold on to a lead” crowd. As quickly as the stadium became hyped after Saba’s header goal, they were quieted as Atlanta’s wall almost did its job.
To add insult to injury, Lionel Messi was promptly subbed in, thus pulling even more cheers and bellows. Atlanta didn’t look dead, though, and kept fighting for the remainder of the game.
Lionel Messi
It was cool seeing him here for a second time, even cooler when you consider that 10 years ago we all would’ve laughed if anyone had said the following sentence: Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez are playing on a pitch in downtown Atlanta, and that stadium consistently has one of the highest attendances in the Americas. But also….
Anyway, let us know down below what you thought of the match!
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Valentino must go!
Not sure what his purpose is to start Daniel up top over Jamal…
It’s a joke to watch soke of the coaching decisions.
We need to bring in Edin Terzic as a coach and Michael Parkhurst as technical director.
I mentioned it previously, but whenever we bring in the new head coach, Valentino will probably not be retained. Also as much as I love Parkhurst, I don’t think Atlanta should bring in another former player with no TD experience at the TD role like they did with Boca
Lennon is by far the weakest link on our team!
On any opposing team, the left wing will always be WIDE open because Lennon has zero understanding of what marking on D should look like.
When he is one on one on D, there is no attempt at the ball, just delaying while tracking backwards.
In that case, you have to mark your man close so the opposing team doesn’t try to pass the ball your way. He just doesn’t have the smarts to understand the fundamentals of being an effective wingback!
Not Rios? Not Mosquera? Lennon?!
I don’t think Atlanta plays man to man defense wise. They have generally played zone and if Lennon drifts too far wide, he will a gap between him and Gregersen, especially if one of our midfielder does not fill the gap. We are currently team without a solid identity, especially on the defense, so we need a new head coach to fix that. I don’t think Valentino has the trust anymore…
With Lennon and defense, I think the problem is more about ability/skill than a lack of intelligence.
But But But…who will whip mindless crosses into the box over and over and over again to opposing defenders?? Who will let their man roam freely in our 1/3 and look like they have no idea how to defend? Who will not be able to beat anyone one on one off the dribble? If we don’t have Lennon???
I’ve been saying this for a few seasons.
Imagine if this team could play for 90 minutes each week the way they play for 20. But it’s like every week, they have to re-gel and remind themselves of their chemistry. Of course it doesn’t hurt your chances of attacking and scoring when the opponent subs off a wingback like Gressel for a walk-around-on-a-recently-healed-ankle like Messi.
This is why we won in 2018. Because we played every match like the final 20 minutes of this one.
I agree. The game got very stretched the last 20 minutes and we stopped dinking it around the back and started going Route 1. I blame RV for continuing to go back to the slow build-up strategy that we just don’t have the talent to execute.
If you would have told me Lennon was one of the worst crossers in the league I would have boo’d you off the podium. But man, he really is finding ways to be a bad crosser this season. Tons of overcooked crosses, ones to no one (which is a separate issue), and just not on target
Slisz had some great moments and some horrible moments. Some of those passes were just horrendous, and that’s supposed to be his core job.
Mosquera, dude just needs to be removed from the squad. 2 left feet and the inability to stay on the ball.
Miranchuk, like Taylor Twellman said, needs to stay on the ball in the middle of the field. He needs to produce, he needs to make stuff happen. He can’t be an 8, he needs to be a 10.
The game ended with some fight, and a few good chances. There is life in this team, but it needs to happen for 90 minutes and it needs to be consistent.
In all fairness… we tried to get mosquera off the squad…