The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five Stripes test defense vs. the Fire today
Atlanta United has allowed only one goal in its first two home matches, with Chicago coming to Mercedes-Benz Stadium today.
That one goal was a throwaway near the end of what would be a 4-1 win against New England.
So far, it’s an improvement from last season, when the Five Stripes went 10-3-4 at home, allowing 20 goals in 17 matches.
Part of the improvement can be attributed to the team’s focus on upgrading its personnel at centerback. Another part is how much those players are communicating with each other to make sure that spaces are covered and opponents are marked. Derrick Williams, signed in the offseason, is quite the chatterbox, according to teammates.
“I’ve always been that way,” Williams said. “I think the last couple of years I’ve really worked on it.”
Williams could be heard during the team’s preseason matches, when it’s a bit easier to hear over the din of a stadium. Sometimes, it was to hold the defensive line. Other times, it was marking assignments on set pieces.
Though Williams has been with the team only a few weeks, and played in only four matches, he has learned which players need to be spoken to in certain ways.
He can flat-out yell at Giorgos Giakoumakis and Noah Cobb, for example. Others need a more specific modulation.
“Before I used to just shout
at everyone,” he said. “And it wasn’t positive because sometimes you shout at some person, they react negatively. They put their head down, they go in their shell and then it’s a lose-lose battle for everyone.”
Cobb likely will be Williams’ partner today because Stian Gregersen is injured, and Luis Abram hasn’t yet started a match this season.
Williams said he and Cobb have developed a good understanding with each other based upon their work together during the preseason. Williams said he appreciates Cobb’s desire to learn and courage to constantly ask questions to improve.
“He has all the attributes to be a very good centerback,” Williams said. “I just keep telling him, ‘Just keep talking. Talk as much as you can,’ because then it helps everyone else around them.”
Chicago will provide an interesting test. The Fire added midfielder Kellyn Acosta and striker Hugo Cuypers during the offseason, to go with Xherdan Shaqiri, Fabian Herbers and Gaston Gimenez. The Fire’s nine goals are second most in the East.
They typically play out of a middle block where they try to defend the middle-third of the pitch, win the ball and then counter.
“We need mobility, we need to be on the front foot, we need to be constantly playing the ball, moving fast and playing and moving,” Pineda said. “Hopefully we can give them the solutions and the tools to succeed in the match.”