That didn’t start off well. But then it worked out well through the first half. Atlanta United traveled down to Fort Lauderdale for the first leg of the first round of playoffs as they squared off against Lionel Messi and Inter Miami. It was a wild, injury-prone game that saw Atlanta fall 2-1, making the second leg of the series back home in Atlanta a must win. Here are the final whistle thoughts live from Chase Stadium!
Pedro Amador
Since arriving in the summer, Pedro has been one of the most humble, yet effective wingbacks in the entire league. His pass to Saba to open up Atlanta’s scoring was -insert chef’s kiss emoji here- and it was very similar to the one-two we’ve already seen from them. The pass completely left Miami’s defense flat footed and Saba went on to continue his streak of being an absolute pain in Miami’s Peppa Pig colored ass.
It isn’t just those key passes, though, his defending has been incredible, especially in 1v1 situations. An absolute gem from the front office this year.
Schedule congestion
No, the team that barely snuck into the playoffs shouldn’t be rewarded, but Lennon and Gregersen both went down with first half injuries and you can thank the schedule for that. If it’s about player safety, then the play-in game should never happen 72 hours after Decision Day. This is a frustrating set of circumstances for any team, and MLS has to find the right balance. Regardless of if this was a win tonight, Atlanta United desperately needed some rest.
Tall task
No matter Atlanta’s recent results, this was always going to be tough for the Five Stripes. The aforementioned schedule congestion aside, Inter Miami are hot right now, not to mention the fact they have Messi, Alba, Suarez, Busquets, yada yada. Couple all that with a chaotic environment down in Fort Lauderdale and there was a mountain to climb.
The team performed admirably, all things considered. By no means was it pretty but it’s something to try and build on as Atlanta returns to the Benz on November 2nd for the second leg.
Let us know down below what you thought of the match!
Defensively, this match does not feel like a loss considering we lost Lennon and Gregersen in the first half and having to piece together the team and switch formation on the fly.
Tristan and Silva sat for a reason and tonight showed us why. Silva waited on the ball twice and let Miami just take it over. Those two were the most rested people on the field. No reason they should play like they aren’t.
Silva for Miranchuk (or whatever took place) was not the right move. Miranchuk actually held possession better and fought back for it *insert astonished face*
Ever since the sitter vs Seattle last year Silva has been very Araujo-eque and not in a good way.
I don’t think Miranchuk has been great or even good, but with a supporting cast like this-version Silva, who can blame him?
I think Miranchuk has looked good-but-not-great and has helped elevate Slizs and to a lesser extent Fortune’s play.
We need a more dynamic striker. If we had been able to keep GG around, I think we’d see some good team ball against all but the top 3 teams in each conference.
I think Miranchuk was gassed having to play in his 3rd match in 6 days. There are very few people who can do that. And this current roster has no other player who we could play in his spot.
Yes I agree there, but I think with what we’ve seen from Silva this whole year I would’ve gambled with Brennan or thrown Wolf in
Agreed. I would not be surprised if Silva is done for this season. But again it could be that the coaching staff was put in a tough spot figuring out how to handle the substitution after dealing with the injury subs in the first half. They might have figured that putting in the “older” players would have been better than the young guys in a playoff match.
We did all we could and more. Guzan played like the best keeper the world has ever seen. But we were just too tired and untimely, not good enough to beat them. Without Guzan, it would have been at least 7-1
That was my first and main reaction to the game. Guzan stood on his own head, Messi’s head, and several other heads with his play. Shades of Tim Howard against Belgium(?) in the World Cup in 2010. (I think my facts are correct, but am not sure.)
I was thinking the same thing