VS. DATE / TIME: Saturday, August 31, 2019 7:30 PM EDT MATCH PREVIEW: MLS Match Preview VENUE: Talen Energy Stadium Chester, Pennsylvania Tickets GAMETIME FORECAST: Clear Temp: 74° Feels Like: 73° TELEVISION BROADCAST: PHL17 (Local) COMCAST: Channel 807 HD, 7 SD Verizon FiOS: Channel 517 HD, 17 SD CURRENT MLS STANDINGS MLS INJURY REPORT MLS DISCIPLINE REPORT LAST MEETING: Sunday, March 17, 2019 Mercedes-Benz Stadium / Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta United FC 1 - 1 Philadelphia Union MLS Matchcenter
I think they win. Then another against LA. Then they blow it the last week of September and wind up in 3rd anyway.
WVU I think they falter and end up in 3rd or 4th as well. The other top 3 teams in our division are just better than us and on more of an uptick right now. And without Bedoya the Union are TOAST vs Atlanta.
I am fairly certain you can only change red cards, but not yellow cards, unless it was something egregious like mistaken identity. However, now with VAR, they check that during the game so it won't come up anymore.
Couldn't have scripted this better - 1st place vs. 2nd, and the stadium has been rocking the last 2 games. Another full house for sure for this one. Very different to when we met them early in the year when Aaronson announced his arrival with a goal. Both teams were struggling then. They're flying now, and our defence is going to be tested like never before, and Bedoya's absence means Haris will need significant help in DM. There's only been 2 losses at Talen - the opening day loss to Toronto could be put down to growing pains, but Portland efficiently won in May thanks to a talismanic striker... hmmm. Still I'm hopeful the team will feed off the crowd's energy and raise their game to the opponent. My guess would be a high-scoring tie.
Atlanta has the Open Cup Final this week. So hopefully best case is they go 120 and all-out and take a nice breather this weekend.
Is "tired legs" ever really a thing? Like, is there any evidence it affects a teams' performance on a weekend after playing midweek?
What's the XI without Bedoya? Do they stick with 4-2-3-1 and go something like: Blake Gaddis---Elliott---McKenzie---Wagner Creavalle--Medunjanin Ilsinho---Monteiro---Aaronson Przybylko or go more 4-4-2: Blake Gaddis---Elliott---McKenzie---Wagner Medunjanin Aaronson--Monteiro Fabian Przybylko---Wooten ? Something else? Do they need Creavalle on the field to try and have a chance to slow down the Atlanta attack?
Remember when Carroll was assigned to shut Henry down and stayed glued to him the whole game? Medunjanin can't do that. We have to have Creavalle on the field.
I like the 442 option. We're at home, so we should take the game to them and get the crowd into it. It allows us press high and maybe disrupt their build-up play with 2 big strikers, plus we can bring Ilsinho and Fafa off the bench to run at tired defenders in the 2nd half (after their midweek cup final). ATL is going to get their goals against us, so we just have to score more.
I think that Curtin puts out the same lineup with Creavalle in for Bedoya. Curtin likes to go with what works and that worked on Saturday. Another change that might happen is someone more defensive for Ilsinho. Curtin could play Fafa there or could start Fabian at the 10 and move Monteiro to the wing. McKenzie will be assigned to Martinez like he was assigned to Kamara. I would like to see something like: Blake Gaddis---Elliott---McKenzie---Wagner Medunjanin Creavalle--Aaronson Monteiro Przybylko---Fabian I think that combines the high press that is needed and provides some defensive cover for Haris. I still think that we can control the midfield with this lineup. Plus it allows Ilsinho and Fafa to come in if needed to run at Atlanta who plays tonight (and then hopefully celebrates all night) before traveling to Philly.
My only worry is that Haris seems to just assume Creavalle is always covering defensively and he gets kind of crazy going forward, without covering. If he does this and there is no help at the top of the box when Atlanta attacks we are in big trouble. Unfortunately I don't think there's a lineup that can coverup for that. Haris just needs to remember his defensive duties.
Swap Arronson and Monteiro and you have it. That way Monteiro takes Bedoya's place as cover for Harris, and the kid can press Atlanta relentlessly until about the 60' when Ilsinho comes on.
Very sad that we are having to devise lineups that cover for Haris' liabilities. I still think his defensive weaknesses have allowed more goals than he has created.
An intra-conference matchup against the defending MLS champs with 1st place on the line and the FO tries to sell tickets by giving us...90's night?!?!?! I realize they came up with this back in February, but just scrap the minor league baseball promotion and sell the match on its merits! Maybe I'm just bitter because the 90's are apparently long enough ago to be a throwback night theme and now I just feel old. Thanks Union!
Barco is out for Atlanta. Based on Jim's comments from yesterday about Ilsinho, I think it will be a 4-2-3-1: Przybylko Aaronson-Fabian-Ilsinho Monteiro-Medunjanin Wagner-McKenzie-Elliott-Gaddis Blake Although Jim did say that he expected Jamiro to "play the 8" so that confused me a bit. Is the DM position in a 4-2-3-1 considered an "8"?
A lineup that has a lot going for it offensively, but I am so worried about Monteiro moving forward and Haris not covering. This could be a 3-2, 3-3 type match.
Curtin said something yesterday along the lines of, "We're not going to sit back against Atlanta because they'll break you down eventually. We're going to take it to them." Union are the slight favorite: Union +125 Draw +271 Atlanta + 189