Atlanta United vs. FC Cincinnati Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta November 1 – 7:00 PM ET Fox Sports Southeast AJC.com United page here. MLSsoccer.com preview here. ATLUTD.com preview here. FCC preview here.
My first and only game this season at MBS. The only other two home games with a crowd, I've had drill. Hoping this bottom-of-the-table clash results in a victory since I'll have two girl children with me, and they're much more bandwagon than boy-child. EDIT: I guess it's within the realm of possibility that we'll have a home playoff game, so maybe I'll get another one in.
Good for you. I made the home opener, but after the shutdown I just opted to let my tickets roll over to next season.
Previews are up. Notes for today best summarized thusly: FCC has scored only 11 goals this season, yet Atlanta is only 3 points ahead of them in the table! Whatever spectre Jaap Stam was expected to bring to Cincy remains mired in everything else that has embodied the Lions since their promotion to MLS. Put it this way, their primary offensive threat remains former Stripes' reserve Brandon Vasquez, with 2 goals on the season. It's a side that as composed lacks any prominent ballhandler capable of dictating the flow and shape of play, and to date Coach Stam has not been able to make the unit cohesive enough to overcome the lack of talent. The intentions coming into MLS was something akin to the philosophy Nashville has implemented: Defensive solidity that would allow the offense time and opportunity to find itself. Only their defensive players lack the fortitude or positioning sense of a Walker Zimmerman and their offensive players like the aggressive verve of Accam or Mukhtar. The result is a side that may feature the worst two-year stretch in MLS history. But, hey, they did notch a win over their nemesis from Columbus, so there's that. For Atlanta it's very simple. The Stripes have more talent, they have the better talent, and even with their defensive lapses they SHOULD by all rights keep FCC at bay. Yes, we all felt the same going into the DC match but at least there was the evidence of DC's potential before hand and the Eagles had post-season aspirations for which to fight. FCC has none of that, and are arguably one of just two fan bases across the nation more anxious for 2021 than Atlanta. So the question is whether or not Coach Glass and Co. have formulated an attacking strategy that they all can understand and will in fact employ. So long as they put in the work there's little doubt they should manage to actually score against Cincy. Miles remains out due to panic and worry over the election, er, Covid-19, but Escobar is projected to return. Provided Moreno, Barco, and Damm can link up today they'll likely exceed the number of opportunities created against Orlando (14) and maybe Torres will notch a second goal. 3-0, and we all enter next week with some stupidly slim hopes of a playoff match.
It was Miles who tested positive? I didn't think they gave that info out. I'm-a go with 2-1 United. I hope to be right.
Sorry I'm chiming in late; Had to take jr. back to his mother. Enjoyed the radio broadcast on the way. To wit, Jason's call after the first goal he recapped how it happened by screaming "a Damm good cross and Jahn sends it home!" 40' and FCC enjoys some possession while Atlanta settles in a bit.
Also, checked to make sure after listening to the radio guys call out this name: Cincy's Tom Pettersson is NOT the Tom Petersson who plays bass for Cheap Trick!
48' and another Cincy free kick yields a good header but high. Their free kicks have all been threatening.
82' and Cincy makes some changes as they chase goals. Atlanta with a pair of transitions that were a pass away from breakaways.
Happy election eve, campers. Hope your liquor cabinet is well stocked! Atlanta benefitted from other results around the league yesterday, as well, with Miami, Montreal, and DC all losing. This means going into the final day the Stripes control their own fate with one exception - Chicago. The Fire have a game in hand, so they may have 2 games to play pending the possible cancellation of their match with Minnesota. Bottom line we want Chicago to lose out or take only 1 point from 2 matches. Chicago closes out hosting CFG:NY while Montreal visits DC. Not that I'm betting on Atlanta to sweep past the Crew but at least hope remains.
The early goal was very helpful in keeping my 6-year-old engaged with the match. Me, too, frankly. The only players that looked consistently dangerous all game for us were Damm and Lennon. Gallacher shows occasional flashes, as does Barco. Moreno definitely has the potential to be a game-changer if we can define a role for him. Right now, he's just wandering the pitch looking for a job. If we had a starter-quality forward and a solid DM, we have the talent to be a very good team. What we don't have is a plan. It's very clear that the team has no idea how to transition the ball from defense through the midfield into the final third. I lost count of the number of times Bello made a run down the flank, and nobody even looked at him. He never got the ball. At least Lennon and Escobar attempted to get Damm the ball a few times down that side. FdB's team formation was a U-shape, where the team would pass the ball around the edges and never threaten the goal. Glass has them playing an O-shape, which is very similar but with some slim chance of scoring a goal. The center of the field, however, remains mostly vacant. When Larentowicz came on, we suddenly had a presence in the middle, but he can't do it alone. I literally had forgotten Rossetto and Adams were even on the field until they were subbed off. We also lost almost every 50/50 ball all night. That's 100% a coaching issue. And when we lost the ball, we rarely fought to get it back immediately. We'd have like 2-3 players attempting a high press, and nobody else participating. The back line looks fine, but the team defensive effort looks uncoordinated. I think we have plenty of talent on the team to where one or two players can make a huge difference, but we desperately need a manager. Guzan gets my MOTM. Two huge saves to keep us in the lead.
Good summary. Re: A team plan - Yeah, for me the past three matches especially encapsulate the shortcomings of Glass, or better yet the need for a bona fide manager. The inconsistent energy levels, the lack of a Plan B during games, the flat play in a must win match vs DC... Coach Glass may be good at longer-term player development and good with the cheerleader mentality necessary among youth sides but he's failed to grasp this opportunity in a way that truly brings out consistent and developing team play. (I feel, anyway.) Hopefully that doesn't damage any player as they build for next year. I definitely think the key position to address heading into next year will be the defensive midfield. ie: Who will sit behind Moreno and allow him to do his thing in attack? Adams has played well of late to figure into that equation and others have shown moments of quality but we definitely need someone with better defensive instincts and not prone to cheap giveaways.