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Editor’s note: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution opted not to attend the resumption of the MLS season in Orlando amid the COVID-19 pandemic. League safety precautions severely limit the AJC’s in-depth coverage of Atlanta United. The following report has been compiled from television broadcast and video conference interviews.
An early red card, a penalty overruled after a video review and the oddness of playing at 9 a.m. combined to result in Atlanta United losing to Cincinnati 1-0 on Thursday in the MLS tournament in Orlando, Fla.
The loss and lack of a goal means that the Five Stripes are unlikely to advance to the knockout rounds and were shut out in consecutive league games for the first time in the team’s history. The team has been shut out in three games across all competitions, underscoring the absence of the injured striker Josef Martinez.
Until Frankie Amaya’s curling, game-winning goal in the 76th minute, Thursday’s contest had all of the excitement of a bowl of cold, watery oatmeal that some may have been eating as they watched. The lowlights for Atlanta United were Jake Mulraney being sent off in the 26th minute and a penalty kick won by Ezequiel Barco being overturned in the 50th minute.
“This game was different after 26 minutes, we were one man down,” Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer said. “Our whole plan, you can throw it overboard.”
Atlanta United (2-2-0) will next play Columbus Tuesday in what seems likely to be its final game in the tournament and last until MLS announces its post-tournament schedule. The tournament’s championship game is scheduled to be played Aug. 11.
“It’s a bit of a long shot, but we have to win that game,” Atlanta United’s Jeff Larentowicz said. “Crew are a tough team. It’s not like us to lose back-to-back games in a tournament situation. It’s incredibly disappointing.”
As he said he would, de Boer made several changes to the lineup. Adam Jahn came in for Manuel Castro at striker, Mulraney for George Bello at left wingback, Eric Remedi and Larentowicz replaced Emerson Hyndman and Mo Adams in the central midfield, and Barco in place of Matheus Rossetto. Those who made their second consecutive starts: goalkeeper Brad Guzan, centerbacks Miles Robinson, Fernando Meza and Franco Escobar and striker Pity Martinez.
As expected, after giving up four goals in its first game, Cincinnati sat very deep against Atlanta United in an attempt to clog all passing lanes and deny shooting angles.
“They showed us all the respect in the world,” Larentowicz said.
That tactic, perhaps combined with temperatures in the 80s and a heat index in the mid-90s, as well as the early kickoff that made the game one of the more difficult that the 36-year-old Larentowicz said he’s experienced, made for a sleepy start with little action. Atlanta United’s first shot didn’t come until the 20th minute when Barco tried to curl a right-footed shot into the lower left corner.
“If you see this game at 9 a.m., for everybody it’s not worth it to play in these conditions,” de Boer said. “The tempo was really slow. Even 11 against 10 it’s really slow.”
The game tried to wake up in the 26th minute when Mulraney picked up a second yellow and was sent off for dragging down Joseph-Claude Gyau. Mulraney picked up his first yellow in the 12th minute when he plowed into a Cincinnati player. Atlanta United was reduced to 10 men for the game’s remainder.
De Boer was forced to sub in Edgar Castillo for Jahn in the 34th minute to provide defensive cover.
The unraveling continued with a yellow to Barco in the 43rd for a late challenge after he lost the ball.
Atlanta United finally put a shot on goal when Pity Martinez’s free kick late in the first half was saved. Castillo followed with another a few seconds later. It also was saved.
Despite playing a man down, Atlanta United thought it had won a penalty kick following an unnecessarily late challenge by Maikel van der Werff on Barco. A review helped referee Victor Rivas decide that Barco was offside in the lead-up to the play.
The game continued to look like a soupy mess until Amaya took a chance from 25 yards in the 76th minute. His left-footed curling effort found the upper left corner of Guzan’s goal.
“He made a great goal,” de Boer said. “When he shoots it 10 times, nine times it will go over or be saved by Brad.”
Finally, J.J. Williams, who came on as a sub in the 83rd minute, was sent off in the 100th minute with a straight red card after getting into an altercation with Cincinnati’s Kendall Waston.
“We don’t have a lot of time to dwell on this,” Meza said. “Have to be self-critical, improve and move on to the next game.”
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