Atlanta United trotted on out to Austin, Texas for the first time in club history to take on the Black and Verde, and a few familiar faces in Brandon Vazquez and Jon Gallagher. It looked bleak for a while after going down 1-0 thanks to a Vazquez free kick banger, but Atlanta fought back to equalize 1-1 in stoppage and secure a point away from home. Here are the final whistle thoughts from a heat-stricken Austin!
A back three
The first part of the match saw Atlanta United playing some of their better soccer in weeks. They had a couple of decent scoring opportunities and – at least for the first 25 minutes – looked like the more proactive, aggressive team. After the hydration break, however, the momentum seemed to shift towards the home squad, but the Five Stripes went into the half with .5 xG and 6 shots. The back line of Noah Cobb, Derrick Williams, and Luis Abram initially did a solid job keeping Brandon Vazquez and co. under control, which allow Matt Edwards and Ronald Hernandez the ability to get more involved in the attack.
With the speed Atlanta has in the form of Noah Cobb at the back, plus the veteran capabilities of the rest of the center back corp, a consistent back three might be the ticket to let Atlanta’s attack play with more confidence. Of course, that all hinges on attackers finishing their chances, but the team needs to find a recipe to start scoring goals, no matter what it takes. The team isn’t built to sit back and absorb pressure for 90 minutes, but they’re also not a pressing team. The back three might be a stable enough formation to let Atlanta play the way they want…barring giving teams free kicks in the most dangerous location on the pitch.
What’s going on with Saba Lobjanidze?
I’d normally equate Saba’s lack of time in this match to leaving him rested for Saturday against Philadelphia Union. However, his time on the pitch has been lacking in the last few games, not just this one. It’s interesting, considering how well Saba played for the team last year, not to mention consistently showing some passion out on the pitch. We’ll try and find out a bit more from Ronny Deila in the coming days, if not tonight in the press conference, but barring anything sort of lingering injury it seems wild to cut him from so much time. His entrance in the second half helped spur the momentum back for Atlanta and pulled the team out of the obligatory rut in which they tend to put themselves in every match.
Momentum
It just continues to swing like a pendulum. Atlanta had crispier passing sequences and better overall play, but there was still a void from about the 35th minute to the 70th in which things looked rough. Is it too much to ask for the team to just play a full, solid 90 minutes? And maybe that’s unfair to ask in this match, considering the heat and everything else, but it just feels that if Atlanta could keep its head straight for a full match, a lot of the worse results would be converting to wins. Perhaps in a few days vs Philly, we shall see.
Let us know below what you thought of Atlanta United’s first trip out to Austin, Texas!
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[…] The First Reaction: Atlanta United at Austin FC […]
Not specifically to AU, but I do wonder how much our internationals are questioning their decisions to play in the US these days.
No idea why you got a down vote Sam…
Miggy and ELL have to be questioning their decision here…
Everyone should be paying attention to how much better our passing was, how much less predictable we were, and how much better a team we played once we got Alexi off the pitch and switched up our midfield. Slisz looked less lost in that moment (I don’t think he’s good when we play with dual 6’s), Muyumba started moving around to where the ball was giving the defense outlets, miggy also filled in some gaps, the wingers moved off the ball into spaces creating chances and of course we eventually scored a goal. That’s how your midfield should operate, but 5 in the back (both wingbacks just doing defense) and 2 6’s means 7 of your 10 players are sitting in their own half trying to play defense…no wonder we can’t progress the ball, control the ball, create chances, look dangerous. That style of play is playing scared.
I mean, yes, i’m sitting here as an armchair analyst with zero history in sports data science, but it doesn’t take a data scientist to see any of this stuff. All of the MLS analysts have called out the issues, the commentators last night, and in many games, have called out these issues. Literally everyone sees it, just not Deila.
I hate blaming stuff on the coach, I really do. Too common a scapegoat, but man, it’s all shaping up to be a ‘him’ issue and not a team issue.
Totally agree with having so many people defending that we can never attack the box with numbers. But that is not due to formation-probably not even the coach. It’s a confidence issue. Not to pick on a young player but so many times Matt Edwards just passed the ball back or sideways and then not make the forward run to get the ball back or create a passing option for the person with the ball. It’s the same with Slizs and others. Only when we made the late subs did Muyumba and Jay Fortune move forward off the ball so they could create numbers and lanes for receiving passes. It’s almost that these “professionals” just want to finish the game without their mistake having cost us the game.
I’ll just add that our biggest problem is not moving off the ball and not moving after making a pass. Take a look at how often our players will first signal a pass, then make it and finally not move to get a return pass. The net result is that sometimes even really good players start to look real ordinary. Miranchuk has fallen short of expectations but it is so obvious that he can’t be at his best if the team is not moving all around him. If we do that, the opponent will have to spread their players around to cover all the moving players. Instead, Mira is always surrounded by 3 players when he gets the ball.
Mark my words- the one change that’ll work wonders is if the coach insists that 1) players have to move after passing the ball- ALWAYS and 2) at least 3 players have to move off the ball to get in position to receive a pass.
I’ll take the point but it sure looked more like drunken homeless guys boxing to me.
Guys, based on what was on display, we will have a very difficult time with Philadelphia. It could be VERY bad, they are playing relentlessly to win balls and create scoring chances…plus they are fun to watch.
That was a tough game to watch. We were listless for huge chunks of the game (yet again). It would be easier to write off due to being a mid-week game, or the heat, or a few backups thrust into starting roles if this hasn’t been a consistent thread throughout the season.
It’s frustrating, because there are moments where we show up on the same page and it looks good. But those moments aren’t enough. There’s still too many times where we give the ball away because it seems like we don’t know what is happening. I did see Klich trying to direct traffic some in the first half. That was encouraging in a way, but at this point in the season, they shouldn’t still be trying to figure it out. But here we are.
Liked the practicality of switching both formations and tactics to fit the situation. The player selection was limited and it was a decent choice given the availability. My main critique would have been Muyumba over Slisz, to start. There were just so many missed passes and disconnections from the whole team. But Slisz was a standout this match, has not been good this year.
The minute 10 direct counter attack leading to the 1v1, is what we need to do more of IMO. Unfortunate not score, but getting Miggy or Lath in those breaks more often has a high statistical chance to pay off given more opportunities. That is why I would try to keep Miranchuk and Klich, playing in a mid to low block, using their passing abilities, to spring those passes behind pressing, or possession teams.
We also have Thiare, Saba, and Mosquera who can all come in for tired legs from constant sprinting while keeping the same tactics. I see this as our best way moving forward. It also helps clogging up the defense with bodies. 532, Maybe not the most beautiful play, but it works for our personnel and helps our weaknesses in theory.
While I don’t disagree with the thought process or even the conclusion, We’ve also seen the exact tactics you described the past couple games with Miranchuk and Klich as our midfield while playing a (possibly unintentional) mid/low block looking to spring the counter, and turned out very poorly. Because although the idea seems nice in theory, what ended up happening was we just lost possession the entire game because we couldn’t get the ball off the opposing team, and the few times we regained possession, either sloppy passes or poor transition decisions immediately lost the ball again, or we moved so slowly and unthreateningly that the opposing team had no problem recovering numbers behind the ball again.
I don’t know if it’s just form, or tactics, or just the combination of the two, but Klich and Miranchuk as the midfield pair just doesn’t seem to work. It’s just too slow and leaky to provide an outlet out of a press or to provide defensive cover, and despite the passing prowess on paper that should provide, just can’t seem to provide threatening chances on a regular basis.
I think we definitely need more of that direct transition attacks more, I’m just not sure how we produce that.
Just brainstorming some ideas:
3-5-2/4-2-2-2/4-2-3-1 hybrid, depending on the placement of the LWB and the SS
LL – Thiare
Amador – Almiron – Saba
Muyumba – Fortune
Williams – Cobb – Edwards
Thiare could also swapped out with Miranchuk (and yes, actually have him stay higher up the field, focus only on quick one-time assists or shots, which now that I think about it has been where he thrived the most last year and looked particularly good this year) and Edwards could be swapped out with Abram, just kinda depends on if you prefer Edwards or Cobb as your RCB/RB hybrid a la Escobar. I assume Gregersen is perpetually injured, and he wasn’t that great in my opinion anyway.
Focus on 2018 style mid/low block with speed to transition up the field quickly. I like the speed and forward thinking of this group, but I’d be worried about the cleanliness on the ball, and giving up cheap goals.
My two cents: after watching our team this year, to me, our best midfielders are Slisz, Muyumba and Fortune regardless of the fact they make mistakes but they are our best choice. Slisz could play behind Muyumba and Fortune and I’d put Miggy as a free roaming 10, playing slightly behind LL and Saba. On defense: whomever is available on the left (preferably Amador), 2 CB’s and Lennon or Edwards on the right. Go out and let them play. If this isn’t working make changes at halftime and not wait until the 70th minute. So basically it’s a 4-1-2-1-2
I think when we see the formation, the tactic they are implementing is possession. I’m advocating for this formation focused on direct counter attack. Maybe splitting hairs, but why it doesn’t seem to work now is that the plan is to build up play and short pass our way through the middle. Breaking lines and playing into space would work much better, and isn’t the current game plan.
Is the tactic really possession or are we just not good enough (thinking of Klich specifically) to turn away from pressure in tight spaces and play a progressive pass?
I remember an announcer pointing out in one game that Klich had come into 4-5 opportunities to play out of pressure but instead played a safe pass to players forced to then recycle possession.
Muyumba is capable in tight spaces, Fortune tries to pick a pass quite often and has an okayish success rate breaking lines and is decently tough on the ball. Slizs’s body language indicates hed prefer the team to be more confident to play in tighter spaces in an effort to play more progressively.
Yet we see Klich game after game. I dont get it.
I’m sure they’re wanting to do possession, but in actuality, what we’ve seen for about 60 minutes of every game since at least Nashville if not earlier is poor counter attacking soccer. They sit in a lower and lower block conceding possession, and when they get the ball, they immediately try to drive it upfield, give the ball away with an inaccurate pass or an air ball to LL with two defenders on him with no support, and the cycle starts over again.
I agree with your game model particularly for our team, but the way it has been with Miranchuk and Klich in the middle hasn’t been working.
It’s a fair opinion. They have not been great. But long ball accuracy and weighted vision passes are not in fortunes game, Muyumba is a defensive tackler who’s weakness is turning over passes and Slisz hasn’t shown the ability either. To be that defensive as a team you need both midfielders with at least the ability to spring balls and they are the only 2 I would cast in those roles. Otherwise, definitely not the plan to go with. Maybe that’s why Deila doesn’t implement it? Mira and klich aren’t our best defensive mids, but that is why I suggest that formation, it clogs up the field so defense is a group effort (since we don’t have super stars in defense) and only because we have fast forwards that could make the sprint. The suggestion is not based solely on an opinion of klich and Mira being any better than others individually, but just that they are the only ones that have the potential to make that tactic work because of that ability in their game.
That makes sense. I think in my mind at least, we’ve already seen it not work, so I’m trying to figure out how we tweak it so that it does. Maybe it’s just Klich and Miranchuk figuring their crap out.
Yeah, i mean. Yes. They definitely need to figure their crap out. The whole team does. It’s frustrating.
It’s not nearly as dreadful possession as under Pineda but holding the ball and building up play has definitely been the tactic as a whole.
I was at the game watching. Honestly like the first 20/25min was the first time I felt like the team had a plan and they executed it. You created a couple really good scoring chances but can’t finish them. We were talking at the game it felt like if we put one of those away we would have “results” sticking to a plan and build trust. However, when you’re not scoring goals the team drifts away from the plan and they look completely lost… the foul was careless and was dejavu back to the cincy game giving a free kick in almost exactly same spot with same result and flipped the match
Should’ve been up a goal in the first 10’…
Feels like a robbery. Dont care. A point on the road is a point in the road.
Still lacking a ton of chemistry, confidence and swagger, but they didn’t give up and fought hard to the end. Love to see that. Maybe snatching a point can help build some of that chemistry and confidence.
“… considering the heat and everything else…”
Just feels like we have done nothing but find excuses for bad performances basically ever since 2018 like we are the only team that plays in heat, or has turf, or has match congestion, or has injuries, or insert any other number of adversities that plague every team every week. Anyway, that’s just become a massive pet peeve for me these last several years.
I noticed 2 things today that feel telling (or maybe I’m overanalyzing) and both were on the sideline:
1) after the weird corner kick that shouldn’t have been a corner kick thing, Deila had a visible moment of “omg what the hell am I going to do when I get fired” (go watch the replay, I think it’s a pretty obviously stressed look) – I think he’s getting the hot seat treatment behind closed doors, as he should be.
2) when Thiare scored, he went to celebrate with some staff (not sure if they were ACs or what), but Deila was nowhere near that interaction. Indication they aren’t playing for him at this point? Just another sign the locker room is lost?
We are definitely just a bad team.
And while I’m more than happy to criticize Deila with a full strength squad, this game just reminds me how our Moneyball roster of impact value players is still on vacation at Misfit Island.
Matt Edwards and Hernandez are serviceable depth pieces, but they are not modern wingbacks. Yet we have 5 at the back with wingbacks who are stylistically old school fullbacks who would be more apt to play CB over WB.
On top of that, even though we have at least 4 players capable at holding mid, none are good enough defensively to not be exposed without a partner.
So how do we function when we cant even get one of our best players on the field (Saba) because we apparently we are so passive and toothless defensively that we need 7 defensive players on the field.
All that said, I think Deila is perhaps wondering why he bought the same bridge Garth sold us.
I hope our famed analytics department is looking at the opportunity cost associated with how long this rebuild is taking.
Correct. We are at top of the moral victory table.
Your 2nd point above is what i’ve been concerned about. Similar to Heinze, the team went on to play like crap in order to get rid of him and once they did, they started playing much better (still not great, but better…those were the rough years).
I’m wondering if there is a similar heartache towards Deila.