Atlanta United saw the Red Bulls arrive to Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday night for a match where a win was sorely needed…
…AND A WIN WAS HAD! The Five Stripes showed some much needed fight (and that overused word “grit”) as they pulled a 2-01 win after a chaotic second half of soccer. This one had everything you’d hope out of a rivalry: fights, red cards, penalties, counterattacking goals, the home team showing they wanted to piss off the other team….and it all went the way of Atlanta United. With a D.C. United win, Atlanta absolutely had to win, and now it all comes down to Decision Day down in Orlando. Here are the final whistle thoughts from the Benz!
Intensity
THANK YOU. I’m starting to type this in the 25th minute but all 25 of those minutes have been some of the best intensity Atlanta United has shown all season. Yes, the Red Bulls had two really good chances, but the Five Stripes were playing their game and playing it well. They were beating the Red Bulls’ press by playing in Saba and Edwin Mosquera over the top to keep New York from getting too confident. There shots, there were steals, and there was a team playing for some pride.
Atlanta kept chipping away at the nerves of New York and it all culminated in the 65th minute when Dylan Nealis clobbered Edwin Mosquera, earning a red. A few short moments later, Jamal Thiare won a penalty and a massive dustup ensued that resulted in 5 yellow cards, and Alexey Miranchuk buried the goal.
Forget the goal for a second, it was Stian Gregersen coming in to get in the face of RBNY players as they descended on the ref – and then the rest of Atlanta coming to the rescue when he was pushed down – that showed the fans some passion that’s been missing lately. I’ve been saying it all week: win, lose, or draw tonight, the fans just want to see some pride in the badge, and the Five Stripes showed that.
A gameplan
This team came out today with a plan, albeit a simple one, and stuck to it. And simple plans don’t equate to bad plans. Atlanta didn’t allow the Red Bulls’ press to worry them, and they used speed out wide to spread the RBNY backline. Players won plenty of 1v1 battles and generally put pressure back on New York. They tested Coronel early and often and made Red Bulls’ uncomfortable, all while playing fairly solid on defense.
Unfortunately, none of that wins soccer games. The goals needed to come, and it would be Alexey Miranchuk who buried the penalty that Jamal Thiare won to put the team up 1-0. Everyone’s collective heart stopped moments later as the Red Bulls equalized, but the goal was ruled just offside in the build up. The rest of the match wasn’t necessarily pretty until Tyler Wolff’s late goal, but they all count just the same. Also, shout out to the ref for the assist on the one Red Bull’s goal.
Edwin Mosquera and Tyler Wolff
Honestly, all the players deserve a shout for the way they performed, but Mosquera was out there playing with some swag. His first few crosses were overdone, but he was getting into extremely dangerous spots and effectively taking on guys 1v1. He settled in and put in an extremely dangerous shift dragging Red Bulls players out of position, and he played as a much more mature player than we’ve seen in the past.
Also, I’m giving Tyler Wolff his praise here because he entered the game and almost scored, and then put the nail in the coffin in stoppage on a picture-perfect counter attack. He’s had a tough season trying to get minutes but he made it count when it really mattered. And really, isn’t that what really makes the difference in soccer? What a run.
The Five Stripes live to fight another day, specifically down in Orlando, so let us know down below what you thought of the match tonight!
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Here’s my take:
Yes, we won, but the RB’s had a lot of good counters and were still very dangerous in transition. Offsides or not, those are very indicative of weak spots that can be exploited, and other teams are watching. The scoreline didn’t look as good as it should have for the type of game we played. We need to do better on the chances we’re given.
That win was exactly what I needed mentally. Has given me some positive vibes heading into next year.
Agreed. But it makes me wonder: If we were playing with this fight and passion, would we be in contention for a deep run in the playoffs?
No. It still took two offside calls and a red card, a PK and a 97′ goal to win. Still gave away a 104′ goal to a 10-man side. At home.
Rather be lucky than good, but luck runs out.
There are so many positives from this match. But here are a few that stuck out to me:
Solid summary. Was really pleased with the crowd given where the club is. Very engaged and loud. We truly have a great fanbase.