If there was much optimism for Atlanta United going into this mid-October match against Inter Miami, it was simply because the Five Stripes have been a bogey team versus the Herons. And to give them some initial credit, Atlanta played a pretty solid first 45 minutes, but this was always going to be an uphill battle. These two squads always seem to meet each other once a year for a game that actually means something, and this particular one likely sealed Atlanta United’s playoff fate. A late Fafa Picault penalty was simply a consolation, as Lionel Messi and Co. hung three on the Five Stripes at home. Here are the final whistle thoughts live from Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Finishing
I won’t spend a ton of time on this, but $30 million + worth of Designated Players simply have to be better. Sure, the first 45 minutes were slightly encouraging from an overall standpoint, but despite looking dangerous going forward, they never actually tested Dayne St. Clair. I hate the phrase “be more clinical” because I felt like Gonzalo Pineda (no offense, Gonzo) used it far too often to describe a floundering attack, but it’s the best way to explain this team’s biggest need. The fact that Matt Edwards rang one off the post and Fafa Picault had to draw, and subsequently score, a penalty for this team to not get blanked is yet another indictment on the DP’s, mostly Miguel Almiron and Alexey Miranchuk. The chances were there, but they simply failed to consistently put shots on target.
Fafa Picault
Speaking of Fafa, give this man some credit. He hasn’t hit the spotlight much this year, but when he steps on to the pitch, he’s a bundle of energy. It’s honestly refreshing to see how confident he feels taking on defenders, and I’d actually love to see him start as a winger or second forward. This year hasn’t been one of much optimism for the Five Stripes, but having a guy like Picault on the roster has been a small sprinkle of joy. His penalty tonight was well-drawn and well-taken, it’s just unfortunate it was so late in the match before he had an opportunity to make something happen.
As far as the match is concerned, there isn’t much else to say. The game played out about like everyone thought, as Lionel Messi got involved in the second half and the rest is history. I guess I’ll take some solace in getting the score prediction right. Yay.
I completely agree about Fafa…he’s a natural/true winger whereas miggy & mira aren’t, but “they know how to play it”. We need true wingers and unfortunately we got rid of our two best options at that spot. It’s clear we have to go back to the store and buy 2 new ones because Fafa can’t play them all and Luke isn’t it.
This is an upper management issue. They keep spending money only high profile players that simply have no skin in the game for success or care for Atlanta. The analytics aren’t working. You have to also look at heart. I want United to be great again but don’t see that coming any time soon. Arthur Blank is so successful in business but keeps struggling with his sports teams and management selections. Atlanta deserves better.
I’d quibble with part of this…if we are considering Almiron or Miranchuk or frankly any of the recent guys “high profile” then therein lies one big problem. I get what you mean and say don’t disagree with what you are saying, that the intention with Almiron was a marketing/fan choice…but at the same time, he’s also not high profile to most anyone except Atl fans, maybe Paraguay fans (ish). That’s maybe the one borderline high profile player. IMO Garza is a decent example of a not high profile player that should have been an ok fit…but I guess wasn’t given the other glaring roster issues.
Luke Brennan is another bundle of energy that takes on defenders.
He’s not our answer though…
All we need to do is fix the lack of shared vision, creativity and execution…and yeah, easily worst value for DP $ in the league, no contest. Grinding an axe a bit but the number of times players opted to play a terrible pass or move away from space between the man, the nearest defender and goal…in cases where doing so would have required defensive commitment and misshape…and instead it was just like HS hot potato, oh, where can I most quickly get rid of this ball…which in itself is not the same as playing effective high tempo. An effective, cohesive team has players who quickly recognize that vulnerability, quick move and have teammates who simultaneously recognize what is happening and move to further distort. Not saying they don’t ever do so, but the number of times decisions are clearly suboptimal, if not self defeating, is a problem. Two words that come to mind are rigid and simple-minded.
Everyone says the DPs “have “ to be better. But they never are. So in reality, they don’t “have” to be better. They still get paid.
And Tata keeps putting them out there despite their lack of results