Atlanta United delivered a listless effort at the Philadelphia Union on Saturday evening, sleepwalking to a 3-0 loss at Subaru Park.
Quinn Sullivan opened the scoring in the 26th minute. A succession of failed clearances ultimately saw the ball fall to an unmarked Sullivan, who lasered it past Brad Guzan to make it 1-0. It was Sullivan’s first goal of the season and the Union’s first since March 29.
What a hit by Quinn! 💥
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) April 20, 2025
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The Union doubled their lead in the 50th minute through Danley Jean Jacques, who was given too much space on the left before taking a Mikael Uhre pass and beating Guzan to make it 2-0.
How about a meg for your first DOOP? 😅
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) April 20, 2025
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In the 56th minute, Atlanta was given what could have been a lifeline as Jovan Lukic was shown his second yellow card of the evening. But it didn’t matter as Tai Baribo, a second-half substitute, made it 3-0 in the 84th minute as he headed a Sullivan cross into the back of the net.
Beautiful service from Quinn finds Baribo for his seventh goal on the year! 💥
— Philadelphia Union (@PhilaUnion) April 20, 2025
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All in all, it was a dismal showing for Atlanta, who saw Noah Cobb and Tristan Muyumba leave in the first half due to injury before Noah Cobb was taken off in the second half. Latte Lath was also shown a yellow card in this one, meaning he’ll miss Atlanta’s match at Orlando City due to yellow card accumulation.
Atlanta has now dropped back-to-back matches and is now winless in their last three (0-1-2). They face Orlando next Saturday.
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Here’s a quick exercise to kind of tell us where we are…
Forwards:
Latte Late = start
Saba = start
Almiron = start
Thiare = bench
Xande = cut
Brennan = bench
Mosquera = bench
Togashi = cut
Midfielders:
Miranchuk = sell
Klich = cut
Muyumba = cut
Slisz = sell
Fortune = bench
Reilly = bench
Defenders:
Amador = start
Lennon = trade
Williams = bench
Stian = start
Cohen = bench
Abram = cut
Hernandez = bench
Cobb = bench
Morales = bench
Edwards = bench
Five starters….and you could easily convince me Stian makes too many mistakes, can’t stay healthy and should be sold.
I was hopeful coming into this season that Klich would be good and help stabilize Slisz. But he’s a bust, with nothing left in the tank. Miranchuk has regressed, and can’t play with Miggy. Who is easily a better player.
Maybe the defenders can be rescued – if Lennon is at RM or RWB – but the midfield is a lost cause. Miranchuk, Klich and Slisz need to go, and then need to sign (at least) two great players with those slots.
No way we cut Klich, we only pay 300k, he would worst case stay on the bench. And Muyumba has been insane this year. Also Togashi is our 3rd string striker, no reason to cut him. I’d argue Mosquera should be sold but meh. I like Lennon but would understand if we got a good trade.
But by and large, I agree.
On Togashi, I think our 3rd – and even second – string players should be kids with upside. Not rotation players. Not starters! But there’s no reason to have a low ceiling taking up space on the roster or bench.
I don’t see what you guys are seeing with Muyumba. He’s loose with the ball and is midling at best defensively. Most importantly, he’s not a press breaker. If you’ve not going to be the destroyer in the double pivot, you need to be the press breaker.
Saba this year has been awful
Muyumba this year has been very good
I think both are great examples of “players performance dependent on situations”
That being said, for me, absolutely Slisz is the first to cut
I too had high hopes and have been let down by Klich
The Miranchuck situation is strange. Why did the fo make that move.
We’re bad because we paid a billion dollars for new players but are still running out slisz, muyumba, forture*, abram, lennon…..it doesn’t matter if you have 2-3 great players up top if you can’t get them the ball, can’t defend in transition and can’t work the ball through a press you know is coming.
Unless you just blow up the team, you need to move to 3 in the back and push Lennon and Amador into wingback roles. With them both running up the field and the defensive midfielders being mid (at best), you’re going to continue seeing all of the problems we’ve seen through the first 1/4 of the season.
You then see if Miranchuk can swim in the double 8 role in the middle or bench him. Hopefully, dropping a midfielder and moving him deeper allows us to move the ball through the midfield, with the wingbacks stretching the width of their defense. That should help provide service to Latte, and keep 3 deep to snuff out counters.
Of course, we’re still going to be uber susceptible to the press until the CB’s magically learn to pass.
*Fortune is a good prospect and should get time, but he’s not a core starter on an MLS contender.
We need 3 healthy, passable CBs for that though
Playing 3 CB’s takes the pressure off them to cover as much ground and be perfect in their coverage.
It would put a lot more pressure on the front 3, but they should be able to create with fewer numbers. They’re only getting in each other’s way, anyway.
Slisz is a major liability in every match – always good for a giveaway in our defensive 3rd
He should not be the one carrying the ball forward. He’s much better at breaking up plays and once he gets possession, pass it immediately. He maybe is being asked to do something he’s not strong at. He is not Nagbe but coach wants him to be.
He’s built to play on the red bulls. Run and hoof.
I am just going to throw this out there after watching Rios play well for Vancouver last night – beating Miami without 4 starters (per commentary).
Seems other clubs get more out of our players AFTER they leave AU…many examples out there…
Why is that?
Very good question. Gallagher is another example and so are many others. Coaches not playing them in the correct position or not having the brains to see where/how they could succeed? If you watched the Miami/Vancouver match, can you imagine Latte playing in that offense or having Belhalter playing in our midfield?
Just seems like it is a recurring issue…we have just as much talent as Vancouver (maybe more so with injuries) yet they would likely curbstomp us if we played today…
I think that’s the “big name coach” effect. That Vancouver guy seems to be going into the room, seeing what he has, and making it work…..where as every coach we’ve ever had (including Tata before he won the title) has come in and tried to fit the parts into his system.
That’s why I would go to a wingback system. If you want to play with Lennon, and to a certain extent Amador, you need to move them from the FB role.
And further, we don’t really have a great midfield. Even if you rate Muyumba, and pair him with Miranchuk, you’re still papering over weaknesses. Putting a third midfielder in and telling him to shield two mid level CB’s is pretty loony.
You also have an entire team – Saba, Miggy, Latte, Slisz, Muyumba, Lennon, Amador – that is built to press and run. They’re not built to sit and counter. Even if you work the ball up the field, you’re not going to get quality shots.
The only player who is built for Delia is Miranchuk, and he’s just confused as all get out by what everyone else is doing.
Cobb and Stian are actually super fast. If you put Williams between them, that should be solid.
Did Deila do a press conference after this game? I can’t find anything
I haven’t watched the game, sounds like I shouldn’t even bother. Just listening to FSF, and trying to figure out how we get things better.
Buy out some albatross contracts and bring in some high quality defenders? I’d say find some CM talent, but on paper we should be great there with at least Klich if not some of the other guys. Fire Deila and find out how to get Tata? Not because he’s some magic bringer without faults, but because he’ll actually get the offense playing together properly?
I think we need a leader on the field that can players can look up to, that organizes, and/or rallies. I feel like before that was either Big Red or Josef. Heck Giakoumakis did that when he was healthy. I don’t know that there’s anyone doing that right now. Klich maybe should be that player. Sounds like Cobb and Fortune are trying to.
There’s the point made that plenty of players play well before, come here and suck, then leave and do well again. Sosa in particular comes to mind. So what the heck is happening that it just doesn’t work here?
I agree with you, and since I’m not in training or the locker room, can only look at the symptoms and hypothesize with my best guess.
That being said, Saturday night was the worst I have EVER seen us play. It wasn’t just one or two players bringing down the rest…it was EVERYONE. To me, this doesn’t indicate a need to replace players…it is discipline and messaging – that falls primarily on the coaching staff – BUT I also think there is something missing from Leadership (FO) messaging.
Your point about player regression when in Atlanta is VERY valid and brings up several questions in my head (you all feel free to disagree with me – these are just my thoughts):
– Training instruction too vague? Too confusing?
– Is the sense of urgency for the product on the pitch not “urgent” enough?
– Are players fighting every day for their slot – to be the best and obvious choice for starter or are they coddled and comfortable?
– Is the coach trying to impose “his way” on the players? Is this causing too much confusion?
– (Although I already know the answer to this question, I’m still going to list it) Are the players being utilized in THEIR strength positioning or where the coach thinks they fit into “his system”?
– What is the messaging around the locker room from the ENTIRE leadership team, including coaching staff – are they all singing the same song when dealing with the team?
– Are the individual player expectations being communicated with an action plan of improvement in those individual areas?
– Are the players’ confidence being built up or torn down? I would really love to know how this is being done either way…
– There are a nauseating number of other questions in my head but these have been stewing since Saturday.
Deila seems to have a good, yet sporadic, tactically understanding during the match for adjustments, so I have to believe he sees all this and was just as embarrassed (if not more) with Saturday. My final question is…is HE the problem here or the solution???
Sorry for the rant…i love this club and just want to see some damn progress.
BTW..save yourself the pain and don’t watch the match.
MY Take – i finally got a chance to watch the game, wish i did not. We are horrible – we play like a pickup game, no hustle no heart just out there doing nothing but getting paid. #59 – is a shit player, he should not have been on the field. I would have rather have Miggy at the 10 have saba on the right, Mosquera or Silva on the left, put Muyamba on the bench, you could have gone with Fortune, but those holding mids are out main issue – they do not pressure, allowing the opponents to build, our defense is bad – Lennon should not start, I would have rather Edwards. There was so many bad passes, so many negative passes, there was no creativity. Can we not find a young player who has speed and technique, with accurate passing. This team is sadly showing it not going to compete with not even the worst team. GET BETTER PLAYERS!!!! I did not like Slisz, #59 and Klitch not sure who hired them – but stop getting these useless players. Bring up the 2s and let them play, i am pretty sure they will do way better. Get rid of Guzan!!!! He is slow, does not trigger any counters – and his passing out the back to the middle is non existing.
I’m with you on pretty much all of this, including Edwards (or Hernandez) over Lennon. Lennon’s work rate is great, but he’s a defensive liability, and I don’t think his offensive contributions come close to making up for the defensive shortcomings. If anything, I think he’s better as a pure winger (and was when they played him there last year). Letting Escobar go was a big mistake—he had a great mix of offense and defense for a right back.
i think you’re missing the point here…we totally dominated possession! like 2 to 1!
Dear Atlantistas: my Gremio is not doing well, and has just fired the coach we hired in Argentina. Very promising, but did not deliver.
When is Atlanta going to move? Time, Almiron, and a lot more, are being wasted.
P.S. That number 10 of yours is a bad joke. Time for change, before it is too late.
I hate it when you’re right.
Happens.
Whelp, here goes:
#GarthOut
#RonnyOut
#BeVeryVeryCarefulAbout SeasonTicketPricing
#RememberTheWaitingList?HaHaHaHa
Atlanta is now the team that you rest your star striker against because you know you don’t need to try that hard to beat them.
Fun fact: Josef has the same number of goals as Latte Lath so far.
(I love Lath and wouldn’t trade him)
Josef gets much better service.
They need to swap out goal keeper. Guzan can’t run fast enough to catch the ball and makes too many mistakes.
First goal: caught looking; second goal: weak shot right through the legs; third: hoped ball would go out? This match was horrible from everyone. Didn’t we know how Philly was gonna play us? We were a give ball away machine.
I actually agree, he should have saved the one he got megged on, and isn’t fast enough to recover the ball when he spills it.
First goal his positioning was horrible, whole goal open to his left and he needed to be off his line.
Second goal was just comical; it was hit straight at him. His reaction time is gone, doesn’t see the ball till it is past him and he can’t move quickly enough anyway
He needed to retire after the injury. He has been way over his head since.
If the front office doesn’t see this, we have far bigger problems and we will finish DFL.
Does Arthur force Ronnie to play him?
Just a completely awful showing. Our midfield is the worst in the league.
By far the worst. Awful midfield. No heart. No relentless drive. Too soft. Too slow. Too weak. Can’t win headers. Indecisive.
MLS midfielders are less about technique and incredible passing, than they’re about regaining possession thru relentless pressure and giving their attackers more opportunities. We have guys who have shitty technique, horrible passing skills, who think they’re better than they are.
Hopefully we have options when it comes to moving Alexy & Co.out of town.
What a major disappointment of a season…..again.
How are we so bad!? Cant posses cant press cant counter cant score cant defend…i’ve never seen a team on ANY level have people run into each other so much. The team is shapeless and clueless on offense and defense. Wasn’t there til this game but we gotta burn it down. Coach players they ALL gotta go. Bring up the 2’s until we sell em all off and start over like an expansion team. I would hope we build it from the back like charlotte did 🤔you know what…Ima just give clt the priority now. They get the live watch and atl gets the replay. Yep thats the plan going forward
We had 71% of possession…We can’t use our possession effectively at all.
Feels like we spent half our possession giving the ball back to Philly, which is consistent with their 30% possession.
I’ll bet much of that possession was cycling the ball back and forth across the back, or nowhere runs up the sidelines. We are incapable of working the ball into dangerous areas in the final third. The possession is useless because we only possess the ball in areas where the opponent is happy for us to have it. We don’t cycle fast enough to open space and beat the press, and there’s no movement off the ball to unlock dangerous opportunities. It’s like watching deBoer’s style all over again. Except now the defense is not as good and gets pulled out of shape easily.
Nope, and Philly was all too happy to cede possession and press us into mistakes. They played the exact game they wanted to and we had no answers to it.
This is what I really meant…yes we had possession this game but its not because we dominated. It’s because THEY dominated and we where playing their game. Thats what a really mean is we dont play to a style we just end up doing exactly what the other team wants us to do.