Three is a streak! Atlanta United defeated Sporting Kansas City 2-1 on Sunday, upping their win streak to three matches ahead of what should be a tough one against Charlotte FC on Saturday.
Here are the ratings, starting with mine followed by the average rating from our community player ratings form. As a reminder, here’s a look at the rating scale:
- 10 – world-class performance
- 9 – elite performance
- 6 – average
- 5 – slightly below average
- 3 – well below average
- 1 – poor in every level
Lucas Hoyos – Staff rating – 6.25 ; Community rating – 6.42
Hoyos wasn’t given much to do against an inept SKC attack. The one goal he conceded was due to Atlanta’s failure to clear the ball from its own box, leaving Stephen Afrifa an opportunity he took (very well, I might add) to make the night more stressful.
Elías Báez – Staff rating – 6.5; Community rating – 6.1
Báez’s yellow card means he’s out against Charlotte FC due to yellow-card accumulation. He was credited with an assist on Fafa Picault’s goal on a Miguel Almiron corner that just grazed the top of his head. But his ball to Cooper Sanchez helped lead to Tomás Jacob’s opener.
Júnior Alonso – Staff rating – 6.75; Community rating – 6.8
Alonso has put in some good shifts for Atlanta United during the win streak. Along with his nine defensive contributions, his successful passing (73-of-75) is notable, too.
Paulo Díaz – Staff rating – 6.75; Community rating – 7.3
In his first MLS start, Díaz showed that he can build a good partnership with Alonso. This has the look of a decent signing for Atlanta early on…but promising early starts haven’t always translated into sustainability.
Tomás Jacob – Staff rating – 7.5; Community rating – 7.9
Easily Jacob’s best performance in an Atlanta uniform. Beyond the goal, he was about as active on the pitch as he’s been since his arrival.
Tristan Muyumba – Staff rating – 6.25; Community rating – 6.66
No goals for Muyumba this time around, but he converted 47 of his 48 passes on the night. It wasn’t a perfect evening, but it was a good showing nonetheless.
Cooper Sanchez – Staff rating – 6.5; Community rating – 6.2
Terrific job by Sanchez on his run that set up Jacob’s goal. Outside of that, he’s so good at doing the little things well sometimes.
Adrian Gill – Staff rating – 6.25; Community rating – 6.5
A little bit below what we’ve grown used to seeing from Gill during his brief MLS career, but he recovered from a slow start to turn in another strong showing.
Alexey Miranchuk – Staff rating – 6 ; Community rating – 5.04
While Miranchuk didn’t have much of an effect on the match, that’s not to say that he was terrible — which is exactly the problem with a player you’re paying to have an impact.
Miguel Almiron – Staff rating – 7.25; Community rating – 7.76
Two more assists for Almiron, who continues his great run of form since returning from the World Cup. He did leave a few opportunities on the table, I thought.
Fafa Picault – Staff rating – 7.5; Community rating – 7.23
Picault now has two goals in three matches for Atlanta as his time as the team’s starter winds to a close. Against SKC, he found himself in the right place at the right time to find the net.
Will Reilly (SUB 62′) – Staff rating – 6 ; Community rating – 5.65
Reilly’s not going to be a game-changing midfielder, and that’s OK. He had a decent night in a high-stress situation for Atlanta.
Luke Brennan (SUB 62′) – No rating
Brennan lasted about 15 minutes before needing to leave with an ankle injury. We’ll see what his status is for Charlotte.
Stian Gregersen (SUB 73′) – Staff rating – 6; Community rating – 6.23
In what turned out to be his final appearance in a Five Stripes kit, Gregersen came in after Afrifa’s goal and didn’t put a foot wrong as Atlanta saw out its slim lead. All the best to him as he continues his career in Sweden.
Steven Alzate (SUB 77′) – Staff rating – 6; Community rating – 5.88
Alzate had seven touches in 13 minutes (plus stoppage time) of action, so it’s tough to fully judge him. But there wasn’t much to complain about regarding his time on the pitch.