HT: 0-1 Guzan with a grade school gaffe gifts Miami a goal around the 40' mark. Apart from that Atlanta has looked fair and had their dangerous chances. 45' to salvage another day
That was the loudest pop I've heard at the Benz in years. And that's with the roof open. Can't imagine how loud it would have been if the roof was closed. Glad season didn't end on that Guzan blunder. Back to Ft. Lauderdale. Winnable game. Let's go!
FT: 2-1 So, yeah, that happened. !!!! Pretty sure we were in the stands clapping & cheering a full 5 minutes after it all finished, seeing the lads walk about, seeing Valentino pumping his fists. Covered in beer and whatever drinks were spewed about in the celebrations. It was a lot like the heydays of '18 & '19, with the crowd fully into it. Those last 20 minutes made for a great raucous affair. Amador may not be as quick and aggressive at left back as Wiley, but he's come along nicely as a defensive component and now has 3 assists off his left footed crosses, IIRC. When he has time to set himself he can put the ball into some nice, dangerous places. The defense played well. There were a few moments where an inch one way or the other sees Miami get a second or third goal, but those chances were hard to come by and not very clear cut. Atlanta had just as many, so this hardly reeked of an 8-seed being outclassed. Last night also saw the good Alexy show up, and it made a difference. He and Dax did (mostly) well in managing possession and allowing the Stripes time to build good attacks. Giving my MOTM to Hernandez, however. While not exclusively tasked with guarding Messi, he was the most active defender on Messi's side and did a very solid job minimizing the Miami attacking threats. He didn't force anything or make any egregious stabs at the ball, so in the end anyone watching these teams for the first time would've had a difficult time assessing that Messi was an all-timer among boys. Bottom line, the Stripes not only stay alive but they played with zeal that left the fans a lot more hopeful about next season. Say what we want, but they've decided they weren't ending the season lying down. Good for them and for Coach Rob. And glad Dax can add one more game to his resume.
Amador puts in crosses like the Gressel days, so if he's not quite the defender Wiley is I'm OK with it most of the time.
Apparently Dax has gone on record saying if United happened to win MLS Cup, he's coming back next year.
That would be awesome. He hasn't been his old self this season, but the team plays better with him on the field.
I've heard of him, but college guy steps into the pros, never played outside MLS. There's nothing that would make me think he was a missing piece to our puzzle. Is he a Nagbe or something, where he'd have normally spent most of his career in Europe but something went wrong?
No. He was never athletically gifted enough for the top tiers of Europe. But always a smart, steady, tenacious presence in the middle of the field. I've watched him since he was a rookie, and he always makes the team more positive and connected.
Always felt like a Jesse Marsh or Pablo Mastroeni kind of guy to me. Not the most technically gifted, not the most athletic, but willing to get stuck in and gives 100% on the field and tends to be someone players love to have on their team and hate to play against. Atlanta has a shot in this game. Will never call someone playing against Messi a 'favorite', but a win here is certainly possible. Just hold on for 75 minutes, let the old legs get tired, then go in for the kill when the game opens up.
Inter Miami vs Atlanta United Chase Stadium, Ft. Lauderdale Saturday, Nov. 9, 8:00 PM Apple TV MLSsoccer.com preview here. AJC.com United coverage AUFC home page Miami home page Player Availability Reports here. So, once more the Stripes face off against the "best team in MLS history." It will be Atlanta's 4th elimination game thus far, so how much time is left before ol' midnight? I'm just thrilled the lads have sucked it up and played their best down this closing stretch. Speaks well of their character and gives me hope for next season. Hopefully tonight they keep that up, and if they go down let it be swinging, making Miami earn every second. Vamos Atlanta!
I saw a headline yesterday that Busquets isn't available today for Barcelona Old Boys, and despite all the hype for Messi I really think he's their MVP. If the boys show up today (very difficult on the road) we do indeed have a chance.
Listening to the Five Stripe Final guys they made a comment that kind of explained why Atlanta seems to do better against Miami. Atlanta certainly likes to press, and they're not good at it. Couple that with high lines (although not so high with Rob) and you get cases where Atlanta gets burned. Except, Miami's front two of Messi and Suarez are too old and slow to burn you, so if the lines get broken you have time to recover on defense. One of Atlanta's weaknesses isn't a problem against the "best team in MLS history".
Busquets makes the bench for Miami but doesn't start. Thiare is up top for Atlanta, with Muyumba and Abram also in the starting XI. Gregersen does make the bench, as does Silva.
Thiare off the post! Amador one times a long ball back across the 6 yard box, which Thiare meets at the same time as Calendar(?).
1-0 Miami gets numbers forward, leading to a Messi shot that is saved by Guzan, only for the rebound to land kindly for Rojas.
How was that goal not reviewed for offside? The guy who scored was clearly behind the defense on the shot! EDIT: Nevermind. It was the other guy.