Atlanta United’s big talent reveal Saturday night went something like this.
Exhilarating in the first half, into a ditch in the second and, fortunately for the home team, ultimately (though barely) victorious.
The question of how high this remade club can reach will only be answered over the next many months. But however much can be gleaned from the opener, it looks like the discovery process could be quite entertaining.
Five Stripes supporters filled up Mercedes-Benz Stadium to make acquaintances with high-dollar striker Emmanuel Latte Lath and welcome back the beloved Miguel Almirón, returned from a six-year assignment with the English club Newcastle United. In the team’s 3-2 win over C.F. Montreal in both teams’ season opener, they saw the pairing make magic with the ball, generate a sack full of scoring chances and work with midfielders Alexey Miranchuk and Saba Lobjanidze with creativity and skill.
Latte Lath has a long way to go to fully deliver on the MLS-record $22 million transfer fee that the club paid to obtain him from the English club Middlesbrough. But he made an impactful initial return on investment Saturday, scoring the team’s first two goals and raining much havoc upon Montreal.
The danger that he presents opponents was obvious from the start. His speed was at a different gear than Montreal defenders, enabling teammates to deliver the ball to him into space, where he could create chances.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
He showed an uncanny skill for keeping a touch on the ball as he sped into traffic, had the ball deflected away or was knocked to the ground by Montreal defenders on high alert. Even in those compromised circumstances, he dribbled safely away from danger or slipped passes to teammates even as he was jostled off balance.
His goal-seeking forays were rewarded in the 42nd minute on a corner kick off the foot of Lobjanidze. He leaped amid a thicket of players and seemed to hang for an extra moment, long enough to get his head on the ball and redirect it to the back post for a 1-0 lead, his first score with the Five Stripes. The stadium erupted, enveloping the newcomer with roaring cheers.
“I was feeling I was in a rock concert,” said new coach Ronny Deila.
Latte Lath delivered again in the second half after the Five Stripes surrendered the equalizer with a minimum of resistance in the start of the half, a lapse that was familiar to supporters who’ve seen this team play in recent seasons.
In the 63rd minute, Almirón flicked a long pass into the box that goalkeeper Jonathan Sirois couldn’t secure, allowing the ball to bounce free at the top of the goalie box.
Latte Lath pounced on it and tapped it into the back of the net for a 2-1 lead, triggering another cascade of cheers.
“When he’s switched on and he has legs, he can terrorize a defense,” Deila said. “He’s so quick. His change of direction is very good. He finishes left and right foot, he jumps like Air Jordan.”
Garbed again in Atlanta United’s red and black for the first time since he was transferred to the English club Newcastle United in 2019, Almirón was eye-catching in his return game. After being welcomed back with thunderous applause as he was announced in the starting lineup and then again as the halo board showed his image just before the opening kickoff, Almirón contributed pretty play after pretty play.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Time and again, he advanced deep into the Montreal end and made deliveries to open teammates, putting them in position to be dangerous. He was aggressive but unhurried with the ball at his feet. He was a man back in his element.
“I’m really happy to come back and play here,” Almirón said through a team interpreter. “It’d been a while since I had feelings like I did (Saturday).”
Perhaps as there ought to be, Deila left his first game with problems to solve.
The first half, “I really enjoyed watching as a coach,” he said. “The second half, it was hard to watch as a coach.”
Latte Lath and Almirón in particular struggled with their conditioning.
“Honestly, when I started the game, after my first run, I said, ‘O.K, today I’ll play maybe five minutes and I’m done,’” Latte Lath said, presumably half-joking. He ended up going 90 minutes, getting taken out at the start of extra time.
Also, the team succumbed to a case of ego in the second half, as Deila put it, and put too many touches on the ball rather than connecting passes. Advancing forward and losing possession left Atlanta United vulnerable, “and I don’t fancy that,” Deila said, employing a phrase that really needs to gain more frequency in coaches’ postgame briefings.
The Five Stripes barely escaped the 10 minutes of extra time. A Montreal shot caromed off the crossbar in the final minute.
Said Deila, “I think we were very dead the last 10 minutes.”
Atlanta United’s two stars will improve their fitness, as will the team. And Deila, who has a lengthy record of success, should figure out the right buttons to press to elicit a more consistent effort from his team. The second-half downturn was troublesome for those who’ve seen the Five Stripes fail to produce a full effort, and now the responsibility for addressing it falls to the Norwegian Deila, who dressed head to toe in black. It was an homage, unwitting or otherwise, to one of his favorite musicians, Johnny Cash.
The long journey begins with a win.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
About the Author
Keep Reading
The Latest
Featured
