Atlanta United went on the road and, well, lost, as they’ve done eight times now away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season. They were eventually overpowered by a New England Revolution team that, like Atlanta, had nothing to play for down the stretch except pride.
Here are my thoughts right after the final whistle (they’re brief, since there aren’t many themes to touch on that we haven’t dealt with already this year):
Jayden Hibbert did what he could
Like we saw against the Columbus Crew a few weeks ago, Jayden Hibbert, who made five saves, was hung out to dry by the players in front of him. Gregersen was chasing shadows on Turgeman’s goal. The second one, from Leo Campana, was a goal Hibbert could have never stopped in the first place.
This shouldn’t change the narrative around Hibbert at all, as he’s been good since coming into the starting lineup. It’s disappointing that another decent performance ultimately goes down as a loss.
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Not much more to say at this point
For the record, I predicted a 1-1 draw. Obviously, I was wrong.
The first New England goal was thanks to a misplaced pass by Latte Lath that sprung the attack the other way and led to Dor Turgeman’s goal on his MLS debut. The second one? Give Matt Turner credit for a terrifically played ball that caught Atlanta in transition.
Yes, Atlanta had four shots, but…it finished with an xG of 0.6. That speaks for itself. Oh, and Stian Gregersen came off injured again. The good news is that there’s only three matches to go in this nightmare of a season. (Some more good news: Miguel Almiron looked good!)
Let me know what you thought of the match down in the comments.
Just watched the highlights(?) of the match, and was struck by what appeared to be a lack of hustle by a number of players on the second goal since they appeared to be jogging back instead of truly sprinting back.
I’ve seen enough of Stian’s inability to stay healthy. It’s not working out with him. Can a tandem of Mihaj and Berrocal work next year? I’m a bit concerned there.
I thought Slisz and Alzate looked really good in the first half. Dominating midfield, getting the ball forward despite pressure. Miggy also doing some good creating in the first half.
All that doesn’t matter if you can’t put it in the back of the net.
Glad to see Deila continue to earn the right to return next season. 🥴