Atlanta United v LAFC Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta Saturday, May 25, 7:30 PM Apple TV MLSsoccer.com preview here. AJC.com United coverage AUFC home page LAFC home page Player Availability Reports here. Past Results Atlanta (3-4-6) NSC 1-1 ATL FCC 1-0 ATL ATL 2-3 DCU LAFC (6-3-4) LAFC 3-0 Loudon United (USOC) STL 0-2 LAFC LAFC 3-0 VAN ~ No Almada, Giorgos, Williams, or Wolff. Does that mean no hope? I am confused that while we're enduring another stretch of GG on the injury list he seems to be the target of interest from Cruz Azul. Go figure. Meanwhile, for Almada, his spell on the bench can't be warming up his transfer appeal to potential buyers. Regardless, it's a lousy time for Atlanta to simply be shy of bodies, let alone key attackers. IN vintage sporting vernacular, LAFC stumbled out of the gates but has now seemingly righted the ship. Denis Bouanga, another player angling for a move to Europe, has 8 goals on the season and is fine form. In a congested west this team has a legit shot at both winning the conference and the USOC (given the other powers NOT competing in that event), and being in touching distance seems to have gotten their players enthused again. I'm hopeful, but extremely pragmatic. Maybe Atlanta tries really, really hard to play bunker ball.
Doug Roberson touched on this during his podcast. He said a rumor from Greece said that Cruz Azul offered $10 million for GG. Doug said that he'd accept that if he was Atlanta, and I'm inclined to agree. That would be a profit on GG, and while I like his talent and his effort, his body concerns me. If Atlanta has someone else in mind that could be effective and stay healthy, it may be time to pull the trigger. It could also just be noise that GG's agent is spreading around to try to convince Atlanta on a pay raise for GG they're wanting. But with more than a year on GG's contract, and his injury issues, I doubt Atlanta will be willing to offer a new contract right now. As for Almada, according to Doug there's been nothing to indicate that Atlanta has received an offer for him, or that they're going to, that reaches their valuation. And I doubt Almada's play this season has helped. It may take him going off at the Olympics before Atlanta gets the bid they want, though that would create other problems. The Olympics end just a few days before MLS' summer transfer window ends, so if a bid did come then Atlanta wouldn't have much time to replace him before the summer window closes. Though considering how they're playing right now, it might not mean much at that point. As for LAFC, I'm not going in with many expectations. No GG, no Almada, no idea how they'll create chances. Especially if LAFC scores first, all they'll have to do is bunker in and force Atlanta to somehow beat it, which everyone knows Atlanta is pretty poor at. I'd love to see this team, especially with their stars out, to invite the opposition in their own half and then counter into space, but Pineda is pretty set in his ways. He wants his team to win by pressing high and dominating the ball, and damn it, that's how they're going to play.
So tonight's attack is Thiare up top, with Saba and Silva out wide and Rios in support. So, no Mosquera in the first XI. * grins * Gregersen starts alongside Abram, too. Most importantly, Almada and Williams are on the bench.
I hope the match is it at least close to the end, so that we can avoid a surly crowd chanting Pineda out for a spell.
So...a whole lot of nothing. Most interesting part for me is GG sitting a section over from me a few rows back. Kind of just want to watch him to see how be reacts to the game. He did not do the ATL chant.
HT: 0-0! LAFC has been the more dangerous team but Atlanta has had their chances and Guzan has not been asked to do anything extraordinary. Dios flubbed the best chance to the game, as a deflected roller met him at the edge of the 6 and just didn't sit for him. I'll say this, the team is hustling. Gregersen has been immense.
FT: 0-1 I'm miffed. Goal via deflected free kick after Guzan dismissed for a DOGO that I cannot fathom. They didn't show the replay in the Benz but in real time the idea of the call seemed absolutely absurd. Atlanta deserved better. Tristan hustled his butt off, Slisz was solid in everything but shooting. Atlanta was the better team down a man. BTW, if the LA plane flies like the team, then it's diving halfway to the west.
LA had the lead and Atlanta was down a man, so they knew they had it in the bag if they just held their shape and let Atlanta just pass the ball around. Atlanta certainly got near the box, but how many good shots did they actually produce? It's the same old song and dance, Atlanta gets close to the box, but they rarely actually create a good shot, and when they do they can't finish. Atlanta now has lost 4 home games in a row, doubling the previous record. The most home games Atlanta has ever lost in a season is also 4, which they'll certainly break at some point this season. And the hits just keep coming, looks like Siliz will be gone until Poland is done at the Euros, and Saba will be gone for Georgia as well. With the Olympics after, it's possible it may be September before we see all of Atlanta's starting 11 on the field at the same time.
I hope those rumors of Cruz Azul wanting GG are true. We should know soon as Cruz Azul already started cutting players and extending contracs. Sell.GG and IMO go after Mauro Icardi or Memphis Depay.