Same Ole Atlanta United 2018

[lethalweapon3]

The Dirty (South Half-)Dozen! Congrats!

~lw3

[bird_dirt]

FINALLY making it down from Kentucky to take my son to our first ATL United game against the purple kittens this Saturday. Can't wait to spend the evening with 70,000 of my closest friends.

[lethalweapon3]

Almost time to put our rivals to our south (in the standings) away!

Darlington Nagbe's out for a couple months but we've still got Orlando City right where we want 'em!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

May the Fourth be with you, Atlanta United! MLS’ conference leaders in the points-per-game standings face off on Independence Day. For host FC Dallas (8 PM Eastern, Fox Sports South and 92.9 FM in ATL), their fans hope they won’t have to wait until after extra-time to see a few fireworks.

Undefeated at Toyota Stadium (5-0-3 W-L-T at home), Dallas has been carried by their defense, most notably MLS All-Star defender Matt Hedges (one of just six USMNT members selected for the mid-season extravaganza) and the homegrown Reggie Cannon. Only the Red Bulls and Sporting KC have allowed fewer goals per contest than Dallas’ 1.06.

The Toros are carrying the MLS West banner with a 9-2-5 mark, and they are pleased to return home for the first time in nearly a month. But Coach Oscar Pareja’s club has scored more than two goals just thrice all season, once back on March 18 versus Seattle and twice back in May against the Galaxy. Compounding matters, their lead set-up man was placed in mothballs.

Don’t cry for him, but Argentinian midfielder Mauro Diaz (team-high 8 assists) got preserved in advance of yesterday’s overseas transfer deal with a club based in Dubai. Cristian Colman continues to miss games while hampered by a high-ankle sprain, but Dallas could use more aggressive strikes from Maxi Urruti (six goals, 21 SOGs) and the other Dallas forwards.

Without Diaz or Colman, Dallas managed just a single goal, by midfielder Roland Lamah (team-high 7 goals in just 10 shots-on-goal), but they prevailed in Minnesota thanks to a 1-0 clean sheet protected by Jesse Gonzalez between the pipes.

FC Dallas was the team that helped Atlanta christen Mercedes Benz Stadium last fall. But Gonzalez’s brilliance versus an unrelenting attack by ATLUTD’s trio of Miguel Almiron, Josef Martinez and Tito Villalba kept a 3-0 outcome from becoming much worse.

Coming off a refreshing 4-0 home win at the expense of lackluster Orlando City, the Five Stripes can only hope tonight’s play will be more reflective of their most recent match, and not their last trip to Texas. Possession will be more critical today than it was versus the listless Purple Lions. Dallas needs the ball to play keep-away and perhaps catch Atlanta off-guard in transition. Darlington Nagbe (adductor) is out for a couple months, so with help from Julian Gressel in the middle and Ezequiel Barco on the wing, Atlanta needs the ball to ensure they keep Gonzalez a busy man. Let the fireworks begin!

 

Happy Independence Day! Let’s Go United!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Guess who's feeling sorry for Atlanta United? That's right... nobody! Least of all the Philadelphia Union, still bitter about the (wholly unnecessary) uphill battle they fought at the Benz, back on June 2. They've got the Five Stripes in their house this time (7:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL). With a chance to creep back up above the Eastern Conference playoff line, you can bet they're not gonna risk going 9-on-11 this time!

Let's Go United!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

It's gonna be loud! Fans of MLS' two biggest crowd-drawing squads will rev up the Benz on a Sunday afternoon. The Seattle Sounders have struggled to get it going this season, and come into today's match with Atlanta United (2:00 PM Eastern, FOX, 92.9 FM in ATL) a bit shorthanded. But if anybody knows how to play in front of huge crowds, it's Seattle, the 2016 MLS Cup winner and reigning two-time MLS Western Conference champs who are accustomed to using the confines of CenturyLink Field as a home advantage.

“I think our guys are used to big crowds and big atmospheres,” opined Sounders coach Brian Schmetzer, days ahead of today's action. “We’ve got a lot of big-time players who have played in big venues, pressure moments, stuff like that. I don’t think there’s anything negative about it. I’m hoping it actually has the opposite effect – that we go down there and go, ‘Hey, this is really cool, this is a big event. Let’s get after it.’ That’s what I’m hoping for.”

Seattle (4-9-4 W-L-T) has had a hard time scoring since star forward and Seattle native Jordan Morris tore an ACL, ending his season mere days before the 2018 campaign (kicked off with CONCACAF Champions League play, in which they fell to eventual champ Guadalajara in the quarterfinals) began. The Sounders are the sole MLS club with fewer goals scored than games played (17).

Also left behind in the Emerald City this weekend were star Clint Dempsey (groin), fellow midfielder and waning captain Ozzie Alonso, and defender Roman Torres (ankle). But there are reinforcements for Seattle, as a new designated player arrives. Peruvian striker Raul Ruidiaz has dazzled in Liga MX, and will likely be deployed by Schmetzer as a sub, particularly if the Sounders fall behind early.

Injury-returning Sounders midfielder Gustav Svensson and savvy defensive midfielder Cristian Roldan (nope, no relation to THAT GUY who will be in town in a couple weeks) will be needed to help sustain possession and key transitions from a high-octane and increasingly pressing Atlanta offense (2.1 goals per game, 2nd in MLS behind upstart LAFC).

Goalkeeper Stefan Frei has allowed just one goal in Seattle's last two contests, both on the road (2-1 win at Colorado, 0-0 tie at New England). Frei will graciously thank his possession-hogging teammates for taking some of the pressure off of him. That is, assuming they can hear him above the din of that raucous crowd.

 

Let's Go United!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Most watched draw evah!

~lw3

[Thomas]

2 hours ago, lethalweapon3 said:

Most watched draw evah!

~lw3

Will admit I'm slowly more and more of a MLS convert and this game had seriously rowdy fans for our guys. We had so many opportunities to score and seemingly a lot early in the game but still was good fun. Pretty fun stuff to watch, some great passing. Will say this more often I think, Go United!!

[lethalweapon3]

A Remedi for all that ails us?

https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2018/7/13/17545900/tata-martino-eric-remedi-is-a-pure-holding-midfielder

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

It’s “Howdy, Rooney” time!

The English legend Wayne Rooney has enlivened otherwise dormant DC United, his debut christening their new Audi Field in style last week. Just days before Cristiano Ronaldo graces Mercedes Benz Stadium with his presence, Rooney swings by with perhaps his first MLS start, as DC takes on MLS rival Atlanta United (3:30 PM Eastern, Univision; 3:50 PM kickoff on Twitter).

Former Five Stripes favorite Yamil Asad can now claim to have scored the initial MLS goal in two different stadiums, one up the street at Georgia Tech’s Grant Field during ATLUTD’s 2017 franchise opener. And, now, Asad (team-high 8 goals, tied with forward Darren Mattocks) got the party started at Audi Field last Saturday during a 3-1 win over Vancouver. His MLS Goal of the Week was made extra-special by the mid-game sub-in of 32-year-old transfer Rooney in the second half, plus a brace by winger Paul Arriola.

Coach Ben Olsen’s club has struggled mightily on the road, but at least they’re very experienced relative to their MLS peers. Last weekend’s win was the first MLS home game for DC (3-7-5 W-L-T, 10^th in MLS East in PPG, 1-7-4 in away games) since April 14, a full three months, as their new home field was under delayed construction. Their sole road win came over two months ago, at squabbling basement-dweller San Jose.

But their last road match resulted in an impressive 2-2 tie in the LA Galaxy’s house. And they would love to similarly steal points at rival Atlanta (12-4-5), a talented club that gets goaded into distractions and doesn’t often cash-in on the advantages granted to them, particularly in front of their home crowd.

Granted an MLS-record 72,000-plus crowd at the Benz and a man advantage, ATLUTD could not muster more than a goal versus Seattle in settling for a 1-1 draw last weekend. Opponents jostle freely with lead scorers Josef Martinez and Miguel Almiron, redirecting the team’s and fans’ attention toward anything other than the opponents’ net.

Miggy’s and Josef’s teammates are at their best when they set up quality chances for everyone, not merely the Big Two. Coach Tata Martino acknowledged the need to stack the box more with attackers, in lieu of table-setters, so defenders cannot simply sink their teeth into his team’s stars.

This is a game custom-made for Atlanta wingers Ezequiel Barco and Tito Villalba (who scored late in Atlanta’s 3-1 home win over DC back on March 11) to shine. They have to attack from the corners and spread out the DC defense, either scoring outright or allowing the Five Stripes forwards to take advantage of ricochets.

DCU stays onside religiously to sustain possession (league-low 19 offsides calls in 15 games), while defenders and defensive midfielders (like former Seattle Sounder, and Mattocks’ fellow Jamaican, Oniel Fisher, and ex-NYCFC fullback Frederic Brillant) pack around the box to keep new goalkeeper David Ousted (acquired from Vancouver; 58.3 save%, second-worst among GKs with 60+ shots faced) from being over-active.

Those strategies have kept DC United to a respectable minus-4 goal differential, despite the road-heavy schedule. And now the offense gets a boost of Rooney, right on time. While the pace of the schedule picks up considerably, five of their next six games will be at home, a stretch that concludes when Atlanta arrives at Audi Field on September 2. DC would enjoy scoring a few times today (with Rooney either the scorer, or the decoy) and making Atlanta visit the nation’s capital with a bit of vengeance on their minds.

 

Let's Go United!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

ALL The Hats!

~lw3

 

[JayBirdHawk]

That was Awesome!

[lethalweapon3]

Can Atlanta United keep les bon temps roulet'ing up at Stade Saputo in Montreal, against a playoff-hungry Impact club (7:00 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast and 92.9 FM in ATL, TV AS in MTL) that's starting to heat up at home after a rough start?

They're playing their third match in the space of seven days, and just lost on Wednesday, 2-0, in a non-MLS Canadian Championship semifinal at Vancouver. But the Impact have won six straight home matches, building up an 11-1 scoring advantage going back to June 2. With three of their next four matches at Saputo, some continued home cooking should strengthen the sudden playoff probabilities for Montreal (9-12-1 W-L-T). They are 5th in the total points standings in the MLS East, and marginally behind sixth-place Philadelphia on the points-per-game table.

The Impact's one tie this season was an impressive 2-2 draw in Portland's newly-remodeled stadium just last Saturday. Montreal's unbeaten MLS streak of 13 games ended on July 11 at Yankee Stadium versus red-hot NYCFC, and they have one home win over floundering San Jose and the tie against the Timbers since then.

They've been ignited all season long by Argentine midfielder Ignacio Piatti (10 goals, 9 assists). He and excellent midfielders (including diminutive 20-year-old Jeisson Vargas) are getting minimal offensive support from the forwards, notably Matteo Mancosu, and attempts to lure a transfer from veteran French striker Jimmy Briand failed to capitalize. The lack of forward thrust is putting pressure on Impact coach Remi Garde to come up with creative formations to maximize offense. He's been reluctant to do so, and it helps that he has Evan Bush (MLS-high 90 saves and 127 shots-faced) holding down the other side of the pitch.

Atlanta's defensive midfielders, including perhaps newcomer Eric Remedi, will need to have a field day, if you will, keeping the ball off the toes of Nacho Piatti and Montreal's midfielder mates. Even with Atlanta United's occasional explosiveness, one can expect a tight affair tonight.

Speaking of affairs, don't forget that "Mr. Steal Yo Girl," Ezequiel Barco (as reported by SB Nation's Dirty South Soccer), is sitting this one out on a continued suspension. We'll see Barco again here, during next week's MLS All-Star Game.

 

Let's Go United!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

"Brace" Yourself... another 2 goals for Josef! And Atlanta sure needed them both!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

IT'S

ABOUT

TO GO

DOWN!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

"WHETHER YOU LIKE IT, OR YOU DON'T LIKE IT, LEARN TO LOVE IT. 'CUZ IT'S THE BEST. THING. GOING. TODAY... WHOO!"

~lwhoo3

[lethalweapon3]

All of your Players of the Month belong to us. #ATL

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Did Atlanta United do a sleepover at the Benz? Hopefully, The Five Stripes’ All-Stars didn’t have to go far, since the team gets the very first game on the MLS schedule since the All-Star Game on Wednesday. Oh, and the Supporters Shield leaders’ opponent? Why it’s 2017’s Supporters Shield winners, and the defending MLS champions, Toronto FC (4 PM Eastern, ESPN, 92.9 FM in ATL).

Juggling the MLS, CONCACAF Champions League, and Canadian Championship schedules has been a chore for Greg Vanney’s club. There is a home-and-home pair with Vancouver coming up on the docket in the next 11 days, the matches couching a home game with NYCFC next weekend.

Whether it’s complacency, or being spread too thin, Toronto (6-11-4 W-L-T, 9^th of 11 MLS East teams for total points) has been underwhelming in MLS play, especially on the road (2-7-2).

Nonetheless, they aren’t too far behind the East’s peripheral playoff contenders. And the Reds come into Atlanta looking to collect their third consecutive MLS win, having slipped ahead of Chicago by sweeping a home-and-home pair over the prior two weekends.

2017 Best XI’er Sebastian Giovinco (6 goals; 10 assists, 5^th in MLS) remains the headliner, taking the lion’s share of shots (109, next highest is midfielder Jonathan Osorio’s 23), not necessarily all on target (32 shots-on-goal, ahead of Osorio’s 16). But Toronto is enjoying the returns of fellow long-time Jozy Altidore (3 goals in 5 games, was out nearly four months after scoring a pair of goals on March 30) and drink-stirring midfielder Victor Vasquez.

The 30-year-old Spaniard, Vasquez (knee) missed games in April, May and much of July. But he returned against Chicago and had a key ball-placing role in the first two of TFC’s goals during last Saturday’s 3-0 home win. Despite time missed, Vasquez has just one fewer goal than Seba, while his seven assists are easily second to Giovinco on the team.

Meanwhile, with defender Justin Morrow helping goalkeeper Alex Bono hold the fort, the Reds have just a minus-4 goal differential despite their losing record.

Toronto’s 2.03 PPG (20-5-9) in 2017 set the new bar as the league’s most successful regular-season campaign ever, and Atlanta (14-4-5, 2.04 PPG) is already in great shape to surpass that mark only one year later.

They’ll be without Sal Zizzo (knee surgery, probably season-ending), further thinning the back line. Also, Mikey Ambrose is likely a scratch after getting injured playing for AU2. And Ezequiel Barco will sit for a third game (not a suspension, and training with the team, but not on the activated 18) as the big-money transfer continues to work through his immaturity issues with Coach Tata Martino.

Expect another busy afternoon from newcomer midfielder Eric Remedi, in helping spark Atlanta’s offensive transition, and for Tata to field young Miles Robinson to help hold the defensive line and take some pressure off goalie/future broadcaster Brad Guzan.

Toronto professes to have a plan to contain super-dynamo Josef Martinez (MLS Player of the Month, at least one goal in 10 of his last 11 matches), limiting space for him to roam around the box. But there should be opportunities for Tito Villalba and Miguel Almiron to sneak in shots at their opponent’s goal, especially if they are set up well by Julian Gressel from the wing.

If Michael Parkhurst and his fellow defenders can keep Givovinco and the Toronto forwards from peppering the net with assisted chances by Vasquez, ATLUTD will be in good shape to notch another win, or at least stretch their undefeated streak at Mercedes Benz Stadium to five games. Toronto, meanwhile, would like their Greatest Season Ever to stand the test of time, or at least a calendar year.

Let's Go United!

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Finally, Gameday! You all remember Atlanta United, don't you? They got a sorely-needed two weeks off to recalibrate, and even with all that time off, only the New York Red Bulls could pull ahead of the Five Stripes in the race for the Supporters' Shield. Atlanta will try to show off what they've learned after regrouping, but they've got quite a toughie today at Mercedes Benz, with that pesky Columbus Crew SC in town (4 PM Eastern, Fox Sports Southeast in ATL).

Columbus (11-7-6 W-L-T) had been struggling during much of the past two months, especially on offense. And there remains the specter of relocation hanging over the organization's heads (#SaveTheCrew, btw).  But this is not the same team that Atlanta (14-4-6) held scoreless in a 2-0 win up in the Buckeye State back on June 13, certainly not of late.

The Crew has rattled off three consecutive wins coming into today's affair, and while they haven't been strong all season long away from MAPFRE Stadium (3-5-3 on the road), their most impressive victory came with a 3-2 win at Red Bull Arena on July 28. Goalkeeper Zack Steffen enjoyed a long respite before and after his second-half appearance taking over for Atlanta's Brad Guzan in the MLS All-Star Game, and it showed in a 1-0 win back home against sagging Houston on August 11, won by a score from Gyasi Zardes in stoppage time (no repeats of that today, Atlanta!). On top of the winning ways, Columbus got a boost with the recent return of a longtime legend.

A fixture in Columbus since being drafted there in 2011, winger Justin Meram asked to be traded during the offseason. He got his wish, but his struggles at Orlando City coincided with the club's descent in the standings. It was a shocking return-to-sender situation for Meram on August 3, but he has re-enlivened the fanbase and his teammates on the pitch.

Of course, Crew defenders will be doing all they can to keep from being on the highlight reel for what would be Josef Martinez's MLS record-tying 28th goal of the season (in only 46 shots-on-goal). They will need to keep a close eye on Miguel Almiron, too. Miggy has been masterful all season long with the ball at his feet, but he has struggled to finish plays by putting the ball in the back of the net. For Atlanta to pull ahead and pull away from the rest of the MLS pack down the stretch, coach Tata Martino must solidify the formation strategy for his shorthanded defender line, while Almiron (2 goals since April 28, both versus Orlando on June 30) has to rediscover his scoring touch, soon.

 

~lw3

[lethalweapon3]

Congrats to Josef! Re-writing the history books, one goal at a time!

~lw3