Thiago Almada thunderbolt lifts Atlanta United past D.C. United

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A moment of brilliance from Thiago Almada lifted Atlanta United to a 1-0 victory against D.C. United on Wednesday at Audi Field.

It was an important three points for Atlanta United’s morale and its postseason hopes, and handed interim manager Rob Valentino his first win in his second match.

“I think it was very important because it served to win but I think the work of the team was very important and that we deserved this win,” Almada said.

The victory moved Atlanta United (5-8-5) from 13th to ninth, above the playoff line, in the Eastern Conference, with a match at St. Louis on Saturday. Almada will not be able to play because of yellow card accumulation. Atlanta United improved to 2-3-3 on the road.

“The challenge is we’ve seen something in the group that we think we’ve been trying to pull out,” Valentino said. “You’re right, it is something that hopefully is that spark. That’s going to be my challenge to us as a group, that we continue on this path. They’re exhausted in there, and they should be, that’s what it should feel like to try to win a game and be competitive, especially on the road, that’s not easy.”

Almada’s goal came from a 25-yard shot into the lower right corner. It started with him getting the ball near midfield and beating two players as he dribbled toward the goal before he unleashed a right-footed rocket in the 79th minute. It was Almada’s fifth goal this season.

Almada said as he passed the second player, he thought about playing a through ball to Jamal Thiare but there was no space.

“I decided to shoot,” he said.

Valentino said it was a fantastic goal.

“We talked about commitment to the group and that looks like commitment to me,” Valentino said.

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Defensively, Valentino’s decision to switch to three centerbacks, two of which were Homegrown Players, neutralized Christian Benteke, who scored a hat trick in the teams’ first meeting this season, and gave Atlanta United its fourth shutout.

Valentino selected centerbacks, Noah Cobb, Efrain Morales and Derrick Williams, with Caleb Wiley and Brooks Lennon as wingbacks, Tristan Muyumba, Dax McCarty and Almada in the midfield, Xande Silva on the wing and Daniel Rios at striker. Brad Guzan started in goal.

As was the case in the 2-2 draw against Houston in Atlanta United’s previous match, Valentino was without four starters because of international call-ups or injuries.

Almada received a yellow card in the 18th minute for dissent. Because of accumulation, he will be suspended for Saturday’s match at St. Louis.

The formation switch worked in the first half. Benteke was held to two shots, one on goal, and it was tame.

Offensively, Atlanta United put two shots on goal. One was a well-taken strike by Almada that as pushed away as it zeroed in on the lower left corner.

Atlanta United created two decent chances, both cut-back crosses by Wiley, in the opening minutes of the second half.

Jamal Thiare and Jay Fortune were subbed on for Rios and McCarty in the 65th minute.

Atlanta United’s best chance before scoring came when Almada played in Silva down the left. He took one touch too many and D.C. United’s Tyler Miller was able to come out and close down the angles enough to block the shot in the 77th minute.

And then came Almada’s goal, which started with good hold-up play by Silva at midfield, which gave teammates enough time to start to find spaces within D.C. United’s formation.

Unlike against Houston, which scored in the final minute in the draw, Atlanta United was able to close out the victory with disciplined defense in the final minutes, punctuated by a sliding block by Williams to deny Benteke from four yards away in the final seconds.

“I thought as a collective, everyone did their role and we talked about the tactics going into the game and the game plan in general on how specific we wanted to be to this opponent and each opponent that we face,” Valentino said. “Benteke is a fantastic player and we knew that because of the last game, he was dangerous. Those young guys, that’s just their age, they’re young. Guess what, they show up like Luke [Brennan] did last week, those two (Morales and Cobb) did it this week.”

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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule

Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in U.S. Open Cup