Even Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda said it was one of his team’s worst performances, but Atlanta United did enough to defeat Chicago 2-1 on Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
An own-goal forced by JuanJo Purata in the ninth minute of stoppage time proved the difference in keeping Atlanta United (5-1-3) in the running atop the East and for the Supporters Shield. Giorgos Giakoumakis scored the opener in the 13th minute thanks to an inch-perfect pass from Thiago Almada and a lung-busting run from Brooks Lennon. Both players were credited with assists.
That good work, arguably the lone offensive bright spot until the ball bounced off Purata’s knee and off the back of Chicago’s Maren Haile-Selassie before going in, was offset by a goal from Kacper Przyzbylko in the 90th minute. That goal was the result of a bad backward pass from Franco Ibarra.
“We never had rhythm on the ball, we never could really connect good sequences of passes into possession,” Pineda said. “There were moments in the first half, but we certainly lost the control for the big majority of the game, so I was frustrated with that.”
It appeared that Atlanta United was going to have to split points, just as in last week’s game at Toronto that ended in a 2-2 draw following a late goal by the hosts, until it rallied.
“I am very happy with the mentality of the team,” Pineda said. “The players understood that we were not having our best night, but they were able to absorb pressure and be under pressure by Chicago, who did a great job of putting good balls and services inside the box and in dangerous areas, but we were defending really well. Outside of the goal, which I think was an individual mistake that can happen to anyone, it was a silly mistake that obviously hurt us, but the team understood and never quit, and that is a massive positive to me.”
Here are five things learned:
Wingers are having issues. The excitement about the potential of Luiz Araujo and Derrick Etienne on the flanks during the preseason has yet to happen.
Araujo has one assist and no goals in the past four games. The team’s highest paid player with a salary of almost $4.5 million, he has two goals and two assists in nine starts.
Etienne has yet to score and seems indecisive when he gets into good attacking positions. He has two assists in eight appearances.
Against Chicago, the two combined for two shots, both by Araujo. Neither were on goal. They created zero chances.
Diop is good. Clement Diop replaced Quentin Westberg to start the second half and performed well. He made two saves and completed each of his 15 passes.
Diop and Westberg, both MLS vets, were signed before the season so that Atlanta United wouldn’t again experience what it did last year when injuries to Brad Guzan and Dylan Castanheira forced the club to sign two keepers from elsewhere.
Westberg was making his second start this season against Chicago. He landed awkwardly on his knee during warmups. The same knee was hit sometime during the first half and began to swell, which resulted in him coming off and Diop coming on. Westberg was playing because Guzan suffered an MCL tear that is expected to sideline him for at least seven more weeks.
Giakoumakis is good as well. Giakoumakis scored his fifth goal in his fifth consecutive start. He would have had his first assist on a goal by Andrew Gutman but was correctly judged to be offside when he received the ball before making the key pass.
Giakoumakis had to leave the game in the 58th minute because of a recurrence of the same hamstring issue that forced him off the field in the second half of last week’s game at Toronto.
Atlanta United wasn’t playing well when Giakoumakis was on but it really had difficulty breaking Chicago’s press when he was replaced by Miguel Berry.
Centerbacks are stepping up. The pairing of Miles Robinson and Purata is proving to be one of the best in MLS. In the eight games they’ve started, Atlanta United has allowed just seven goals. Robinson and Purata couldn’t do much to stop Chicago’s tying score.
Against Chicago, they combined to win five aerial duals, attempt three tackles, and win possession five times with just one foul committed. They also bailed out teammates several times with smart plays or blocks of shots or passes following turnovers by teammates in Atlanta United’s defensive third.
Central midfield plan still developing. Pineda selected Santiago Sosa and Matheus Rossetto in central midfield against Chicago. The stats say the pair performed well defensively but not so much offensively. They created just one chance and attempted just 18 passes in Chicago’s final third.
Atlanta United was frequently penned into its half for most of the game. Pineda seems to prefer pairing players together in central midfield. Amar Sejdic and Franco Ibarra is the other pairing. It will be interesting to see which pairing starts on Saturday at Nashville.
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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule
Feb. 25 Atlanta United 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1
March 4 Atlanta United 1, Toronto FC 1
March 11 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte FC 0
March 18 Atlanta United 5, Portland 1
March 25 Columbus 6, Atlanta United 1
April 1 Atlanta United 1, New York Red Bulls 0
April 8 Atlanta United 1, New York City FC 1
April 15 Atlanta United 2, Toronto FC 2
April 23 Atlanta United 2, Chicago 1
April 29 at Nashville SC, 1:30 p.m., Fox
May 6 at Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
May 13 vs. Charlotte FC, 7:30 p.m.
May 17 vs. Colorado Rapids, 7:30 p.m.
May 20 at Chicago Fire FC, 8:30 p.m.
May 27 at Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m.
May 31 vs. New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m., FS1
June 3 at Los Angeles FC, 10:30 p.m.
June 10 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
June 21 vs. New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
June 24 at New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
July 2 vs. Philadelphia Union, 4 p.m., Fox
July 8 at CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 12 at New England Revolution, 7:30 p.m.
July 15 vs. Orlando City SC, 7:30 p.m., FS1
Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA
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