Atlanta United vs Orlando City Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta Friday, Sep. 10, 7:00 PM FS1 MLSsoccer.com preview here. AJC.com United page here. ATLUTD.com preview here. Orlando preview here. Player Availability Atlanta OUT: Emerson Hyndman (torn ACL) OUT: Franco Ibarra (lower body) QUESTIONABLE: Santiago Sosa (lower body) QUESTIONABLE: Josef Martinez (International Duty) QUESTIONABLE: Ronald Hernandez (International Duty) QUESTIONABLE: George Bello (International Duty) QUESTIONABLE: Miles Robinson (International Duty) Orlando OUT: Alexandre Pato (lower body) OUT: Mason Stajduhar (surgical recovery) OUT: Pedro Gallese (international duty) OUT: Sebastian Mendez (international duty)
Previews are up and availability report is in. Will be brief in my own notes since its a busy day. Today marks a tough assignment given Atlanta's absences. Orlando is undefeated in 6, and while they haven't been as dominating as the Revs they've managed to find results. Oscar Pareja has managed Nani's time well and adjusted formations to account for various absences or some players dropping in form, the sign of someone who knows his players well. If Dike can rediscover his rookie mojo they could be able to hold onto 2nd in the east. That being said, they're only 11 points ahead of Atlanta and needed a late collapse by the Stripes to get their win in Orlando. They're also not consistent in front of the net, prone to low scoring draws as they scramble to find their footing in certain matches. That's why they're right behind Nashville and Atlanta for most draws in the east. Nani remains their top goal scorer, due in part to his PK takes, otherwise the front line is a rotating cast of men who's threat level varies. For Atlanta, Benji Michel has proven enough of a thorn that I expect he'll get the nod along with Dike in hopes they can take the game right at a Stripes' defense missing Miles and Bello. For Atlanta the thing to watch will be how much the start of the game is the team trying to implement something as part of Pineda's long-term strategy versus getting the result. Reports from camp have highlighted the effort to work on formations and coverage shifts, and Pineda is surely focusing on little things he can fix in certain players. Hopefully they also hit on a winning strategy for the particular opponent, one that can work even with the likes of Torres or Conway up top. (Robinson predicts the former) A loss here really hampers Atlanta's post-season hopes, which makes it a shame this match has come at this time. A win, though, would dramatically brighten the odds, and if Pineda can get the most out of Araujo and Barco tonight there should be enough there to threaten a less-than-iron Lions defense. Atlanta just has to remember to take more shots than they did last time out.
* looks at line up * Um, okay. Barco, Moreno Rossetto, Sosa, Araujo Mulraney, Walkes, Franco, Campbell, Lennon Interesting that a wounded Mulraney gets the call at left back over Ambrose.
HT: 2-0 Atlanta has played lively, direct attacking ball in spells, producing a good number of shots. Campbell's goal came as he crashed in from the right to head home a cross. Barco scores off a deflected free kick born from another assault down the left. The only cautionary tales are a pair of yellows for Atlanta players as they made tackles from behind to stop breakaways. A lot more one-touch passing from Atlanta, and a lot more diagonal runs from midfielders. It's almost as if Orlando is struggling to defend because Atlanta doesn't have Plan J at their fingertips.
I've noticed Sosa has done much better with his tracking today, in part because he's not working as a sole defensive midfielder. Atlanta hasn't bossed the midfield, but they're not getting bossed, either. Mulraney has done fair. I think he and the others have been hesitant to make more runs from the edge of the line. Might be part of Pineda's approach to possession.
FT: 3-0 I'm so chuffed! Not only did the team win but they played well. They looked like they were having fun, like they weren't afraid, and like they believed in what they were doing. Multiple players also waved the crowd on to keep the energy high, and they did the trick cause the atmosphere was great for a less than packed house. Barco played really well, and I loved his hustle on defense tonight. His patience in setting up his shot for goal #3 was the difference between poise and just blank hesitation. Araujo was a difference maker. His contributions in attack are definitely something the side lacked last year, as he makes the kind of slalom runs through defenders that keeps defenses busy and opens up opportunities for other players. Also, there were several times where a cheeky pass attempt or a dummy move didn't pay off, but those plays again kept defenses honest, because when they did work it often produced a quality breakaway. I'm sure Atlanta had a dozen runs outside with a player even or ahead of the defense. Lastly, the whole team walked around saluting what was left of the fans at the end, including Pineda. That was wonderful. Can only hope they do it every match. The fans who did remain gave them a raucous ovation in return. Up the Stripes! The playoff push is real!
I thought Mulraney played pretty well, too. He didn't light anything on fire, but he did a fine job holding down that side. Brooks Lennon got shafted on the no-assist on Barco's goal. That was a beautiful long-range pass like he's been making all season. This one finally got rewarded, and he got no love from the scorers. Barco did subsequently dribble three dudes in the box, but still.
Yeah, Lennon's stats won't sing his praises because of the poor finishing all year. Like a QB hitting receivers in the numbers but they keep dropping the passes. Team just needs to stick with it and hope the down spell will pass.
Isn't Lennon among the top in the league regarding crossing efficiency? I love Gressel, but I don't believe he is on the list and Lennon has proved to be a more that adequate (and cheaper) replacement.
I take it back. Gressel is one above the Brooks Lennon. Apparently DC fans don't seem to have the love for Julian we do.
Yep. The reason why most of the current stats nerds like "chance creation" or whatever similar moniker over assists.
I don't want to dash any hopes, but it's still going to be tough. Inter and RB have games in hand and can make a push like we are, but from behind us. I do like the position we're in now (better than where we were after beating DC), relative to Montreal, because they've got only one more win than we do (lord, who tf made the decision to change a tiebreaker? Doesn't matter whether we make the playoffs or not, that was just unnecessary fiddling with the machine by children who should never have been left alone in a room with the machine), while DC was going to be tough to catch in wins. All that said, we have what I think is a top ten roster and now we seem to have a permanent manager. I'm looking forward to catching folks on points. Po'lando is a solid third in the East and sixth overall. If we can look like we did Friday against most of the league, we can go as high as fifth in the East. Or we can have things go wrong and not make the postseason at all.
With the playoffs this year being single-elimination with no byes except for the 1-seed, the difference between the 5-seed and the 7-seed is pretty slim. I think we can take Nashville, Orlando, or New York 2 about equally. Miami is on a pretty decent run right now (5-1-2 since the beginning of August), so I would be worried about them. But we play them twice before the end of the season, so our fate's in our own hands there. Miami ends the season at New England, while we face one of the bottom-dwellers, so I like our chances. Miami also plays 6 teams above them in the standings over the rest of the season, while we play only 4 (3 of whom we can realistically catch on points). The battle's not won yet, but it is imminently winnable.
Agreed. We need to have the points to spare by then. If the Revs have secured the Shield by that point (and they probably will have done), they're not gonna be starting their usual XI. This is kinda cool. First three seasons, we know we're in the postseason already. Fourth season, we know we suck. Fifth season, we're in a mediocre place in the table because of the first half of the season, we think we're a better team now, and we're in a push to reach the playoffs. It's a different sort of rush, fighting from behind, but it's there.