It’s just the third game of the season for an Atlanta United team with lots of new faces in the attack. They created plenty of good chances at Charlotte last weekend and against New York on Saturday. You don’t always get what you deserve in soccer but keep at it, and eventually, there will be a payoff.
Those are the reasons to believe it’s no big deal that United hasn’t scored in back-to-back matches. But that sunny outlook is clouded by money and history. United paid big bucks for talented attacking players. Yet it got shut out in consecutive games for the first time since July 2022.
What’s the problem with United’s scoring?
“That has never been a problem,” coach Ronny Deila said after the scoreless draw against the Red Bulls.
The way Deila saw it, the problem was that United played “unbelievably good for a half an hour” and then the next 60 minutes were “not good enough.”
“We had our chances we could put them in the net,” Deila said. “That will come. We have players who can score goals. But we need to play as a team the same way we did for the first half an hour.”
It’s likely the goals will come eventually. Then again, it’s unlikely that this United team would fail to score for 185 minutes of game play. The team that’s built to score hasn’t done so since the 3-2 victory over Montreal in the opener. United last got shut out in two straight games on July 24 and July 30, 2022, at the Galaxy and Fire.
United spent big for offense. It paid $50 million for four attacking players. That includes an MLS-record $22 million for Ivorian striker Emmanuel Latte Lath. Midfielder Alexey Miranchuk and midfielder Miguel Almirón were big purchases, too. Latte Lath scored two goals in his debut for United. Almirón and Miranchuk have had done good work as playmakers, but neither has scored a goal.
The match against the Red Bulls followed a familiar pattern for United. It controlled the first half against New York, just like it did at Charlotte last weekend. United created plenty of good chances early and couldn’t convert them, same as at Charlotte last weekend. United wasn’t nearly as good after halftime, again.
At least United’s defense held up this time. That didn’t happen during the 2-0 loss at Charlotte. Still, one good half isn’t good enough when goal-scoring chances aren’t converted.
“On a personal level, too, I have to work hard to try to help the team,” Almirón said via a team interpreter. “But I think we have a very good group and it’s only been three games.”
United’s attack looked great in the first half against the Bulls. It put six of its 10 shots on goal. It created little meaningful offense in the second half. United had just one shot total after the break. It wasn’t a good one. Edwin Mosquera took a long pass down the left side with a wall of defenders between him and the goal, then tried the doomed shot despite a bad angle.
It was the kind of play that Deila saw too many times after the first 30 minutes. Instead of working the ball side to side and advancing with good numbers to create chances, United’s players played long balls that amounted to nothing.
“I think we have to know each other better,” Deila said. “I think it’s about mentality. I think it’s about fitness. Because there’s a lot of those players on that pitch today that haven’t played a regular 90 minutes. So, that’s one of the causes, but also it’s about (making it) simple.”
United created some good chances to score in the first half. In the 11th minute, Matt Edwards sent in a cross from outside of the box that was just beyond the reach of Miranchuk and Latte Lath. In the 22nd minute, Saba Lobjanidze delivered a nice ball to Latte Lath, but Carlos Coronel saved it. Coronel also turned away a header by Edwards in the 31st minute.
That was pretty much the last flurry of connected offense by United. Somehow, the team built to score failed to do so for the second straight match.
“I think we have got one of the best attacks of this league,” United midfielder Tristan Muyumba said. “We just need to keep going, keep pushing, keep playing forward and do the things how we want to achieve. Our DNA is to start from one side and switch the play and try to give the ball to our attackers in the best position when they can express themselves.
“I think during the second half this is the point where we (failed) a little bit. But I am really confident about the next (match) because we’ve got a lot of good players on this team, especially offensively. It’s just the third game of the season and we need to create more matches between each other, but I’m confident for it.”
United plays host to Inter Miami on Sunday. If it gets shut out again, then the talk about new players, chances created, fitness and any other explanation will be overshadowed by another zero on the scoreboard for the team that’s built to score.
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