Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta October 10 – 6:00 PM ET Fox Sports South AJC.com preview here. MLSsoccer.com preview here. ATLUTD.com preview here. RB:NY preview here. Notes: - Torres, Barco, Rossetto and Castillo out due to injury. Robinson out due to card accumulation. - RB:NY is missing Kaku and Casseres through international duty.
As I look outside and soak in the sounds of this nice Seattle-ish rain it makes me appreciate that the Five Stripes have a dome. Come rain or shine the match will go on. Rolling into town is arguably the Stripes' first true nemesis - RB:NY. Spoilers of our MLS debut, the team Atlanta has never beaten in the regular season, the team whose physicality made fans' bristle with ire. We can enjoy this, though, cause while Atlanta is still the underdogs in regular match play it is United that has an MLS Cup. The Bulls come into this match 2 points above Atlanta in the standings and having recently endured a coaching turnover of their own, naming this week Gerhard Stueber as the new man at the helm. Their season has mirrored Atlanta's in that they've underperformed compared to expectations, struggled to sustain offensive possessions and score, and can't quite finish teams that in the past they may have beaten. There is no BWP to score goals in bunches and thus far none of Barlow, Valot, or Royer has compensated. They still try to play the traditional Red Bull press and have a stout defenders, but like Atlanta the First XI isn't a complete unit so they've endured some enigmatic displays: They lost to DC and FC Cincy in September before closing out the month with a pair of 4-1 wins over Montreal and Miami, but just Wednesday they lost at home to Miami 1-2. In the absence of Kaku MLS stalwart Danny Royer and midfielder/striker Florian Valot will likely be the keys to how well the Red Bulls perform against Atlanta. Not only do they have experience against the Stripes but they excel at the high press and quite attacking that has plagued Atlanta's defense in the past. Expect the team to play with energy both to end their 2-game skid but also to impress the new boss in town. For Atlanta it's about continuing to build on their current success, hopefully without depending so much on Guzan and the woodwork. They'll look to stave off defensive errors and avoid an early let down but will need to show more energy than in the 1st half vs Orlando. Roberson predicts squad rotation and suggests the possibility Moreno may see action, though I feel the latter would be folly unless the outcome was decided. There'll be a desire to push the attack since RB is vulnerable and not known as a scoring machine, so if the Stripes midfield can hold their own and get into advanced positions then like the Orlando match points will be there for the taking. If Jahn, Gallagher, and Lennon can continue their evolution the Stripes will threaten the RB goal, and Glass said he wants the boys to keep shooting and don't be afraid to make a few fouls to keep opponents out of their rhythm, so here's to hoping the recent improvements and the home cooking mean at least another draw if not a sneaky victory.
Wow... Us, RB, and DC waiting for new permanent managers, all at the same time. Hoping this possible second wave doesn't delay our chances at getting whoever we decide to go after.
Well Atlanta has a 2 month head start on DC, plus more money and better facilities, so I'd like to think the only reason a candidate chooses DC over Atlanta is because either Atlanta doesn't offer or they have a personal connection to DC.
I'm thinking we're probably not looking for the same kind of guy as DC might be. Their footy culture is a bit different from ours, I'd think. And after watching the way RB plays for three years, I'm convinced that I don't want us to play like that. Up the Stripes!!!
I'm not gonna dwell on this, but I'm > < this close to calling 92.9 and telling them they need to edit that Black Singles ad. Nobody wants to hear "If it go together, it just go together". The speech stereotype doesn't fit any of the people I hang out with...
Um, wow. Moreno starting, eh? Is that a move of desperation or has he shown the stuff? Gallagher up front, Damm out right, Mulraney on the left... Sounds like an ambitious roll of the dice to push the attack.
8' Atlanta playing what looks more like a back 3. Early but they've but on the front foot. RB:NY also with lots of lineup changes from their last match.
Sounds for the moment that Moreno is fitting in okay, for someone who hasn't ever trained with the team.
18' and Atlanta has created the best chances so far. As a team they look faster and more aggressive than usual.
You can see moments where he gets the ball and is looking for something that isn't there. What's key is that he's shown composure on the ball to hold it until he does find an option.
That's what we relied so much on Nagbe for, in part. Obviously they're not in the same spot, but we'll see...
28' and Atlanta has a nice 5 on 4 attack that just can't quite get a clean shot before the defense recovers.
38' and Damm & Moreno with a nice interchange that gets them into the box but only produces a corner. The corner eventually yields a deflected shot off the bar!
Moreno may or may not be as good as Almiron but he's clearly got skills above anything else on the Atlanta roster!
Would have loved to get one in before half, so we'd have a lead and force their adjustments to address that during the break. They escaped, and it's now a brand new 45 minute game.
HT: 0-0 Easily the most entertaining half of Atlanta footie in a spell. The DC match produced a fine result but much of that down to DC'S ineptitude. Here Atlanta looks quality against a better side. Moreno looks like someone who hasn't played with the team before but clearly knows his stuff. He and Damm are trying 1-touch passes that the other teammates are a step behind. Not to get my hopes up too much but this bodes well!