Atlanta United loses to Lionel Messi, Miami on late goal

“The bad part ... how we can concede that last hope, that’s too easy, because they have three, four guys in the box, and I think they are satisfied with that draw, and then they get something out of nothing,” Atlanta United manager Ronny Deila. “That’s hard swallow.”

Another concern for Atlanta United, it failed to play a complete match for the fourth time out of four matches. The hosts showed stretches of fantastic soccer but also were fortunate that numerous poor decisions on defense weren’t punished more often. Guzan made six saves to keep his team in the game until Picault’s decisive goal. Guzan appeared to try to save the ball but held back as Derrick Williams moved in as if to clear the ball.

“It was slow motion,” Williams said. “I thought Guz had it. So I could have cleared it if I didn’t think he had it, but I thought he had it. So it’s just a mix up, and it goes in.”

Another concern: four points from four matches isn’t a pace that will result in a top-four finish, especially when three of the four were played at home. For that, Atlanta United (1-2-1) would need to average at least 1.5 points per match. It is averaging 1.0 points per match. It will play at Cincinnati next week.

Lastly, the team has scored one goal in its past 275 minutes.

“We need to go out and enjoy playing and feel free,” Deila said. “We looked a step behind during the game. So that’s something I have to look through as well: What we have done training-wise this week, information to the players. So that’s also a learning point that I need to look through, because I’ve seen (us) more fresher than we were today.”

Deila fielded most of his first-team lineup for the first time, starting Latte Lath at striker with Alexey Miranchuk, Miguel Almiron and Saba Lobjanidze in support, Tristan Muyumba and Bartosz Slisz in the midfielder, Brooks Lennon, making his first start after recovering from offseason shoulder surgery at right fullback with Pedro Amador making his second start at left fullback, Stian Gregersen and Williams as the centerbacks, and Guzan in goal. It was Lennon’s 200th start in MLS.

Miami countered with its big four: Messi, Luis Suarez, Jordi Alba and Sergio Busquets, as four of its starters.

Atlanta United struck first in the 11th minute. Almiron played a pass over the top to Lennon, who chipped a cross to the back post. Latte Lath jumped and headed it into the upper corner. Lennon casually turned around and started walking up the field as if he’d already done that 20 times this season. It was memorable because there have been many times the past three seasons that Lennon has hit that cross and there hasn’t been anyone at the back post. It was Latte Lath’s team-leading third goal, Almiron’s second assist and Lennon’s first assist. It was Atlanta United’s third shot, and first on goal. It was Atlanta United’s first goal in 196 minutes.

“It was just almost kind of just a culmination of all the rehab that I’ve done over the past four and a half months, almost five months, and all the hard work I’ve put in,” Lennon said. “It was almost like an emotional moment for me, just so happy to be able to come back and provide an assist and such an unfortunate result in the end.”

Atlanta United thought it had scored again in the 19th minute on another Lennon-to-Latte Lath connection, but he was ruled offside.

“I think the first 25 minutes was our best kind of football,” Williams said. “We’re passing it quickly, two-touch going side to side. We must have had, three or four chances, and then once we go away from that, we get sloppy, we get open.”

Miami quickly struck. Slisz turned over the ball at the top of the 18-yard box to Messi, who chipped Guzan to tie the match in the 20th minute. It was a very similar mistake that Slisz made against Miami in Game 1 of the playoffs last season.

Atlanta United’s decision-making when defending around its 18-yard box remained suspect through the rest of the first half. Lobjanidze lost Messi on one sequence, then headed the ball to no one, which resulted in a Messi shot a few seconds later. Guzan dove high and to his left to push away the shot. The half ended 1-1. Atlanta United finished with seven shots, two on goal, to Miami’s six and four. Atlanta United finished with an expected goals of 0.9 to Miami’s 1.0 Atlanta United created seven chances to Miami’s three.

The mistakes continued, though stayed unpunished.

Almiron lost his dribble 20 yards from goal in the 65th minute. The tackled ball bounced to Messi, who got the better of Gregersen but was denied by Guzan at the near post.

Xande Silva replaced Saba Lobjanidze in the 72nd minute. Jay Fortune, Luis Abram and Matt Edwards came on for Slisz, Amador and Lennon in the 84th minute.

Messi was able to get off a shot in the 88th minute that was deflected out for a corner kick. And then came the game-winning goal from a set-piece.

“We played against a team that haven’t lost this year and last year had the most points in the league,” Deila said. “So I don’t see that there’s a frightening difference between us. That’s the good thing, but in the end, we gave them too many easy chances.”