A hot start to the game and a new signing were not enough to secure victory on Saturday as Atlanta United drew 2-2 against visiting Seattle Sounders.
The result leaves Atlanta in 13th place in the Eastern Conference with 21 points and a 4-11-9 record. The team is 14 points below a playoff spot and just three points above the bottom of the East.
After a solid first MLS start in last week’s 3-2 loss against Charlotte FC, Luke Brennan got another chance in the starting XI. Ronald Hernandez also stayed in the lineup after linking up well with Miguel Almiron on the right side in the last game. Stian Gregersen was given the nod at right center back in his first game back after being out for more than three months. Finally, the club’s new signing, center back Enea Mihaj, was available off the bench.
The Five Stripes came out of the gate with tons of energy, pressing high and getting forward into the attack very quickly. This fast start was rewarded with an early lead after Emmanuel Latte Lath’s shot deflected off Yeimar Gomez Andrade and hit the back of the net in the seventh minute. That was the fourth own goal in Atlanta United’s favor this season.
But Atlanta’s struggles to start second halves showed up once again as the visitors took control after halftime. Seattle took advantage of a quick counterattacking opportunity to level the game in the 53rd minute.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium crowd applauded the eight minutes of stoppage time as a chance to grab a winner, but the goal came at the wrong end as Osaze De Rosario headed home a cross from the right side to give Seattle a 2-1 lead with just minutes of stoppage time remaining.
Just when it looked like Atlanta United would leave another game empty-handed, Alexey Miranchuk came in clutch with an absolute screamer from outside the box to force a 2-2 draw in the ninth minute of stoppage time.
While drawing a game is better than losing, the team really needs to start getting all three points from games.
What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments and fill out your player ratings below or click this link.
Results aside, its nice to see the team functioning well enough to evaluate whether specific players are good enough.
Good Enough:
Gregersen – When we werent pressed in and around our own 18, what stood out to me is that he knows where the ball needs to go before he receives it. He can also take a progressive touch forward to collapse a defense and find a pass. Whether his contract is good value based on his availability is another conversation. But he is absolutely superior to whatever we had to endure through the middle of the season.
Amador – not having quite as “productive” of a year this year but far from a problem area.
Slizs – I appreciate his confidence and willingness to play through pressure in order to break lines.
Miranchuk – We are finally seeing him combine with Almiron in particular and others as well.
Almiron – ditto with Miranchuk.
Not Good Enough:
Hernandez/Lennon – adequate depth pieces. Need more in attack. With reinforcements at CB, I would move on from Lennon and give Edwards more time exclusively at RB, with Hernandez as cover for both fullback spots.
Williams – I like him overall, but for a team with higher ambition, I think his ceiling at this point in his career is CB for a mid to lower table team.
Brennan – I hope he continues to get minutes this year, but he is not yet a top 4 in the east winger.
Saba – this is a weird one. Earlier in the season, I could have been convinced he was our best player. The issue with Saba is I think he is a player that needs to be on the ball and needs to be a part of the game to find a rhythm. The way we have constructed this team, we already have to much of that with Almiron, whose game is a bit more dynamic. I think Saba is just not a good fit for this group.
Latte Lath – similar sentiment to Saba. Good player in the right system. A misfit in this group. We need a striker who can playmake with Almiron and Miranchuk on occasion, and show finesse from time to time as a distributor.
Muyumba – nothing wrong with him as a depth piece but I really hope we have the opportunity to see what Alzate can do alongside Slizs.
Williams – I like him overall, but for a team with higher ambition, I think his ceiling at this point in his career is CB for a mid to lower table team.
Sadly, that’s what our team is at the moment.
He got stuck on that 3-on-1 for the first goal, but don’t you go for the man with the ball? He laid off and drifted back to the other guys who were streaking in and allowed for an open shot on goal. At least force the guy to pass to his teammate and hope for a poor pass due to your pressure or an errant shot or miraculous goal save. And goal two, he kind of stood there.
& the nerve of the “FO” to increase ticket prices (most notably at a varying rate myself included…..not even for all STMs) for the 2026 season. No flurry of signings during this 2nd transfer window will fix the mess that is 2025 (or) 2026 squad for that matter if they keep the same mindset/unwillingness to close down space/take on attacking players with the ball and showing no sense of urgency whether you have a lead and want to maintain it (or) break a tie and retake the lead. All I am going to say is you can throw $ at a problem, but as we saw this past off-season $ is just that if you don’t invest it wisely. Glad I sold my tickets back earlier this season also and am hoping that my “LC” ticket will sale. Also, I expect Gonzalo’s squad to beat “AU” on August 6th. as I have watched a few of their games and they have some scorers and really can push the ball down the field which is not a good sign for our defense.