Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta United
Atlanta United hasn’t won a match since March 29 when they defeated New York City FC 4-3. That was seven matches before they lost 1-0 to the visiting Philadelphia Union on Saturday.
May had been a pleasant surprise for the Five Stripes with two draws (at home against Nashville on Saturday, May 3, and at Austin on Wednesday, May 14) during the three games they have played so far.
Against the Phildelphia Union, Atlanta United was back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first of three consecutive home matches (FC Cincinnati and rival Orlando City will be next). There couldn’t be a better time to pick up points, momentum, and good vibes. And for all intents and purposes the match started off on the right note.
Atlanta United was also looking to return the favor to Philadelphia, who defeated them 3-0 nearly a month ago on the road.
Photo by Mitch Martin/Atlanta United
Once again, Atlanta United manager Ronny Deila tinketred with the starting XI. This week the first-year manager put Matt Edwards, Jay Fortune, Tristan Muyumba, and Jamal Thiare, last week’s goal scorer during the 1-1 draw at Austin, on the pitch. Regular starters such as goalkeeper Brad Guzan, midfielders Miguel Almiron and Alexey Miranchuk, and defenders Brooks Lennon and Derrick Williams remained among the starters.
Saba Lobjanidze didn’t start the match but came on for Lennon in the 20th minute.
The opening minutes of play saw Atlanta United playing more aggressively on the offensive end. The first half would end with Atlanta having had a favorable advantage in possession to the tune of 61%-39%. There were several shots at Philadephia’s goal by Miguel Almiron and Pedro Amador that kept the Union goalkeeper Andrew Rick on his toes.
In the 26th minute, Fortune took a shot at giving the home side the lead when his shot off a pass from Almiron, went over the Philadelphia net. Minutes later, a Thiare header just missed its mark, sailing out of bounds past Rick. Despite the team’s leading goal scorer, Emmanuel Latte Lath, being on the bench, Atlanta United was getting good looks at their opponent’s goal.
Matt Edwards didn’t have any near misses on offense, but might have made the biggest play of the game on defense. Edwards blocked a clear shot at the Atlanta United goal in the 40th minute. It was one of the few clear shots the Philadelphia Union took during the first half. Edwards, not the most demonstrative player on the team, pumped his fists as the ball went out of bounds.
The second half of the match saw Luis Abram make the first gaffe of the match when his sliding block of a Philadelphia shot grazed his hand. The handball call resulted in a penalty kick and goal for the Union’s leading goal scorer Tai Baribo. The goal in the 59th minute was Baribo’s 11th of the season and seemed to simultaneously ignite a fire under his teammates and let all of the air out of The Benz.
Enter Latte Lath and Edwin Mosquera in the 66th minute to give Atlanta -both the players on the pitch and the crowd in the stands- a shot of much-needed adrenaline.
Atlanta did manage to generate a few moire solid attempts at tying the match, but Philadephia Union manager Bradley Carnell’s adjustments were enough to keep wat was an aggressive Atlanta attack at bay.
What’s Next:
Atlanta United will host FC Cincinnati on Sunday, May 25. That match has a scheduled 7 p.m. first kick.
