Atlanta United faces a threefold problem Saturday when it hosts New York Red Bulls on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:
- The Five Stripes are coming off a 6-1 loss at Columbus.
- It has yet to defeat the Red Bulls in a regular-season match in 12 matches.
- Manager Gonzalo Pineda said Thursday that Atlanta United will try to play through the Red Bulls’ press.
Put it all together and Saturday’s match, if won, could be a building block for future success or, if lost, a worrisome sign that the franchise-best start of three wins and a draw was more a mirage than proof of concept.
“If I can control the ball, I can control the game,” Pineda said. “That’s my thought process. And yes, I know it’s going to be a big challenge. Yes, it’s one of the toughest opponents for this style. Yes, they actually like, I assume, the way we play. That’s what suits them. But it’s the same for us. Can we be that good? And that’s what is on the line.”
Pineda said he has liked what he’s seen in training sessions this week from his team. The intensity he wanted has been there.
“We talked in the film (session) was, it’s not about what happened on Saturday,” he said. “It’s about the reaction now because that’s in the past. We cannot score any more goals on Columbus and make it a bit closer and then come back into the game. That’s over. So what we can do now is restart from that, and the reaction in the first training session has to be good, and that’s what I got.”
The team also will have back as many as seven players who were away with national teams and not able to participate against Columbus. That group includes attacking midfielder Thiago Almada, who leads the team with four goals and four assists, and striker Giorgos Giakoumakis.
Midfielder Amar Sejdic said he has no idea why Atlanta United has yet to defeat the Red Bulls during the regular season. The team came close to winning last season in Harrisonburg, New Jersey, only to give up two late, “soft” (Pineda’s description) goals in the final minutes to lose 2-1.
“It’s definitely a target to shoot for,” Sejdic said. “And we’re more than capable of beating any team in this league. We’re fully confident, and we’re hungry.”
The team has a plan to try to deal with the Red Bulls’ press.
The key is using short passes to break though the press while trying to stay out of the situations that trigger the Red Bulls’ cues to attack, Pineda and Almada said. Those cues include sloppy passes or certain players having the ball in certain spots on the pitch. And if Atlanta United does break through, the second pass is as important as the first because Pineda said the Red Bulls will bring everything to defuse the attack.
Pineda said that the Red Bulls’ style also works to Atlanta United’s advantage because if it can break the pressure, there should be gaps to exploit.
“So that’s a battle, who does better in their style, who applies better in certain situations, who’s clinical in those moments,” Pineda said. “Because if we break them down at some point, and then we score, we don’t hit them or punish their pressure, and then they have some momentum, and then they punish us in one of those transition moments. That’s the difference, that application, being clinical in key moments of the game.”
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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 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
April 8 at New York City FC, 7:30 p.m.
April 15 at Toronto FC, 7:30 p.m.
April 23 vs. Chicago Fire FC, 4:30 p.m., FS1
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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