Atlanta United vs. New York City FC Mercedes Benz Stadium - Atlanta August 11 - 3:55(?!?) PM ET ESPN MLSsoccer.com preview here. ATLUTD.com preview here. AJC.com United page here. Preview to come on Saturday...
Matchday brings Abu Dhabi's New York franchise into town as two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference square off at The Benz. At the moment it's shaping up that either one of these two teams or Philly will win the bye and home field advantage, and given everyone's respective home form/road woes we all know how critical that will prove. This is indeed a big game. Citeh come in having split their last 6 but rising up the table as they cash in their games-in-hand. Dome Torrent's side appears to be adapting to their coaching change last year better than their New York neighbors, and their play has shown a comprehensive sense of teamwork. Thursday they required a late goal to eke past a 10-man Houston side but they got the job done. They also have that magic formula that so often works against Atlanta - An attacking midfielder under 5'5"! Maxi Moralez (much like DC's Acosta) seems to find the holes in the United midfield and allow the NYCFC attack to persist longer than it should. He feeds and balanced attack between Heber and Castellanos that works well in the half-field game. They tend to play a high press but not as swarming, rather, they keep more man-to-man in attacking opposing defenders and making their opponents build more slowly. The Citeh defenders, meanwhile, will lie a little deeper to keep the field stretched and minimize the threat of any breakaways, happier to concede possession if not in a dangerous position. For Atlanta the story comes down to three main angles. Firstly, does Josef play? And if he comes off the bench how soon would he be risked in a close game? Atlanta has shown they have options without him but Barco and Tito are still not yet in full form and the former doesn't play the same style. Second, how focused and/or fatigued will each team play? New York played more recently but they rested several players and faced a Houston side reduced to 10 men for about 60 minutes. Atlanta, meanwhile, knows they technically have an extra match to play on Wednesday, which like it or not several starters will be forced to endure. Lastly, Does Atlanta continue to ride with the more attacking lineup with 3 in the back? The answer would presumably be yes but that might change with Josef out and depending on the health of the relative players. If Pogba is still gimpy does the formula work with Parkhurst? Atlanta's win against Orlando wasn't dominating but it was deserved. You can see the confidence building and, more importantly, the chemistry. Pity is thriving with more attacking options available for his passes, and so long as the defensive midfielder can manage their marking responsibilities Nagbe can continue to play a more advanced position. So long as the players are executing on the field, FdB is happy to let them run more in their preferred north-south style. This game is VERY big when it comes to shaping the eastern playoff seeding and Atlanta wants to claim all the points it can at home. They'll have to attack, and NYCFC knows this. Expect an up and down affair. Stripes win a cagey contest 2-1.
Let me be Frank, we need 3 points today so there is no need to rest anyone for the Campeones Cup. We can worry about that useless distraction tomorrow. I imagine the Mexican's feel the same way as they have a Liga MX game next Saturday.
Bad LGP shows up and gets a stupid reputation card. Meanwhile NYCFC can do no harm when making yellow card fouls. Thank you Guz for keeping this 0-0.
HT: 1-0 Josef sets MLS record with goal in 10th game in a row. Vicious header, and yet another off a Gressel cross. Atlanta has had the better of the play and several good opportunities. Need to see Miles' no-goal to see where the foul was. A few defensive errors per usual buy on the whole just need to keep doing the same thing. Barco, Meram, and Pity making some great runs and reads. NYCFC clearly trying to play some long balls and beating LGP on the break.
LPG is an enigma. Great and yet horrible at the same time. But my wife says he is cute so he gets a pass. I need a drink.
Way closer than it should have been. Pity finally seems like he’s starting to click. Barco is a difference maker. Josef... 2 goals. Meram was a steal. Gressel is outstanding. My MOTM.
FT: ATL 2-1 NYC Atlanta really struggled toward the end and had sloppy moments that allowed Citeh to claw back. Felt like one of those matches where all the close misses and saves by Johnson would come back to haunt them. Saying that, there were at least 5 great long-balls that could've turned into incredible goals! Pity, Gressel, Miles, Josef and Guzan all had great games today. Pity showed fatigue toward the end but did really well working the ball. Great effort on his part earning the PK. Robinson, meanwhile... how long until he's in Europe?! The team is playing well, with the players showing they're buying in and willing to work to make the most of this offensive-happy formation. So long as the wings don't abandon/get overworked by their defensive marks this team looks as capable as anyone in MLS. Now they just need to manage this next month's schedule and come away with their 1st trophy for the year!
He is the glue... linking defense to offense. That was a great win, but lets be honest, it should have been 3-0 at halftime.