The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA UNITED PLAYERS LIKE NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT OF SINGLE GAME
Switch to single games gives home teams big advantage.
Because they are hosting the game, two Atlanta United players Thursday said they don’t mind the new playoff schedule adopted this year by MLS.
Each round of the playoffs will be a single game. In past years, the conference semifinals and finals were home-and-home series.
Atlanta United will host New England on Oct. 19 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The next rounds will be played Oct. 23 and 24, the conference finals are Oct. 29 and 30 and the MLS Cup is Nov. 10. As the second seed, if Atlanta United defeats New England, it will host the next round’s game.
“I think if we’re playing at home, here, I prefer a one-off to take care of business at home,” midfielder Justin Meram said.
Atlanta United i s unbeaten in one-off games at home this season. It defeated Herediano at Kennesaw State in the Champions League, Monterrey at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the Champions League, Charleston and St. Louis at Kennesaw State in earlier rounds in the U.S. Open Cup, Club America in the Campeones Cup and Minnesota in the U.S. Open Cup final at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The team went 12-2-3 in league games this season. The 12 home wins were tied with Real Salt Lake for the second-most in MLS.
It also went unbeaten at home in last year’s playoffs in home-and-home series against New York Red Bulls, NYCFC and before defeating Portland in a single game for the title.
“For me, if we play at home, I l ike one game because you have the advantage,” Leandro Gonzalez Pirez said.
Gonzalez Pirez did point out the team lost to Columbus in a knockout game in the playoffs in 2017.
Meram was on that Columbus team, and from that experience, he shared an approach New England’s players may take.
“We have to give everything, everything and more to find a way to get a win in Mercedes-Benz,” he said. “I’m sure the guys already know, but New England’s going to come out and give everything they have and fight, grind and find ways to get a goal.”
Because it’s single games, Meram said he expects the games will be faster and more physical.
“For us, we need to raise the bar, be extra sharp defensively and when we get our moments, put them away,” he said. “Because in the playoffs, sometimes teams stay more compact and find moments, especially away from home, to punish us. So we need to be real careful with that.”
Gonzalez Pirez described the structure change as “strange,” saying it’s been “American-ized.”
“But in terms of the playoffs, we know if we keep winning, the majority of the games will be at home,” he said. “So we just have to be ready with the mentality to play and be up for the games because now its playoffs and everything steps up a little.”