CF Montreal vs Atlanta United Stade Saputo, Montreal Wednesday, 7:30 PM Bally Sports Southeast MLSsoccer.com preview here. AJC.com United home page here. ATLUTD.com preview here. Montreal preview here. Player Availability Atlanta OUT: Emerson Hyndman (torn ACL) OUT: Franco Ibarra (lower body) OUT: Mo Adams (left quad) QUESTIONABLE: Brooks Lennon QUESTIONABLE: George Bello (international duty) QUESTIONABLE: Brad Guzan (international duty) QUESTIONABLE: Miles Robinson (international duty) QUESTIONABLE: Jake Mulraney (lower body) Montreal OUT: Clement Diop (right leg) OUT: Ballou Tabla (groin) OUT: Romell Quioto (hamstring)
Atlanta travels north of the border to visit the birthplace of Cirque du Soleil, hoping to prove as entertaining yet sending the attendees home slightly less happy. Montreal currently sits 5 spots above Atlanta in the standings. They're on a three game losing streak but those have each been by 1 goal and two of the losses were to New England and CFG:NY. (ie: Two of the best teams in the league at the moment.) They've exceeded expectations for a team that had to make a last minute coaching change before the season started and played most of their home gams thus far more than 1,100 miles from home. It appears manager Wilfried Nancy has been a good fit in helping the players keep their heads amidst the turmoil, staying focused on playing to their strengths and not trying to be something beyond their capabilities. A good example of a team that doesn't excel at much but isn't poor at much, either. Nathan Toye and Djordje Mihalovic have provided capable attacking threats to the tune of 9 goals between them, while Victor Wanyama brings some steel and poise to the front of their defense. They're not the most energetic side in attack, but they're competent in passing and possession, willing to let other teams make mistakes. For Atlanta, all the joy that Robinson's header brought US fans on Sunday also means he and Bello are unlikely to see action until at least the weekend, so for now the roster remains decidedly shorthanded. Barco should be available once again, however Lennon and Mulraney are doubtful for Wednesday. Yay. The good news is that Montreal should prove a more temperate climate than muggy Orlando, so hopefully the lads won't gas out too quickly. Reportedly the team had a heady discussion about the flaws from Friday night, with everyone dutifully aware that the defense can't make the same mistakes. Let's see if that pep talk works the 7th time around. If it does there's the chance the Atlanta attack could find things a little easier than against Orlando. Which will be key because Montreal is the easiest opponent on the schedule for the next couple weeks. Atlanta needs at least a point from this match, if for no other reason than to show they're finding any sense of improvement.
I wonder if Robison, Bello, and Guzan can bring a positive vibe from the Gold Cup to the team. I am little worried about the team setting into a pessimistic mind set.
FT: 2-2 Sorry about the lack of any in game notes. Ended up watching the match with a friend at a Buffalo Wild Wings, and given the amount of wing sauce on my fingers and our heavy discussion about relationship stuff I wasn't really equipped to type up a lot of comments. So, as for post-mortem analysis... Barco, Sejdic, and Bello got the start tonight. Their presence definitely contributed to a bright start for Atlanta and gave the game a more fast-paced feel. (Especially compared to last Friday.) Game was scoreless at the half and then Montreal climbed out to a 2 goal lead. The first looked to be a case of simple confusion on marking as Montreal got 4 players on the edge of the box and one was allowed to slide through the gap to receive a pass. Atlanta scored within a minute after the second Montreal strike, however, as Josef got off a nice strike. He would later draw the penalty that allowed Moreno to get the equalizer. At that point it was 10 v 11, but around the 86'(?) minute mark there was a mass confrontation in the Montreal goal box that saw Wanyama and Josef both draw reds. The good is that Atlanta fought back and made it 3 of 4 matches under Valentino where they've looked lively and aggressive. The bad news is the Josef will now miss the Columbus match. The ugly was the defending on the 2 Montreal goals.
Atlanta ended with 14 shots, which was 1 more than Montreal and 9 better than they're showing in Orlando. They also had the most possession and got 5 corner kicks, so those are simple indicators of a team that was pushing forward. If they can sort out some defensive woes, particularly the marking from the midfielders, then that would likely translate into even more offense.
You're not kidding about the defending. Miles can't get back soon enough. My son's U14 coach would yell at them for the marking on that corner leading to Montreal's second goal. Dude could've taken a touch before his shot, he was so unmarked. And unfortunately, I think the red on Josef was probably right. If he had just responded to Wanyama's attempt to choke him with a good shove, probably stays a yellow. But anything even close to resembling a headbutt (yeah, I recognize the height disparity in this instance) is going to get you sent off, rightly or wrongly.
Researched some highlights at lunch and Montreal's second came from a free kick where the back man was left completely unmarked. As in EVERY white shirt turned and acted surprised the player was there all alone. That was absurd. I have genuine concern now about Sosa's role on the team. I'm not citing him as the fault of their woes, but evidence as to the mismatched roster. He wasn't a D-mid in Argentina and hasn't succeeded in that capacity with United. He did fair when slotting as a 4th among a back three, but that was when he had Hyndman right in front of him to help with transition and other teams not yet knowing how easily they could have players shake free if his mark. With Moreno now staking his claim to the central attacking mid role, and Sejdic and Hyndman both favoring the back pivot behind Moreno, where does Sosa go? If Heinze intended him for elsewhere why did he never play him further upfield? In an ideal world someone grooms him to play the DM position knowing his passing from that position would enhance a more aggressive style once the other pieces of the puzzle are in place, but would he do that and can he do that?