Atlanta United wins it
In 2nd season, Five Stripes defeat Timbers to grab MLS Cup
ATLANTA — The Kings of the South are now the kings of Major League Soccer.
Take all of Atlanta’s sports tropes and blunders, put them in a bag and throw it out. None of that matters anymore. Every bad loss erased. Every sports sin forgiven. Every ghost vanquished.
Atlanta United FC, in its second season of existence, won the MLS Cup.
In front of an announced record crowd of 73,019 Saturday, the Five Stripes defeated the visiting Portland Timbers 2-0 inside the spaceship-like Mercedes-Benz Stadium that rocked with a force when Atlanta’s rowdy and proud supporters jumped around and chanted at the top of their lungs.
Leading the way for the Five Stripes on Saturday were its usual suspects: veteran captain and centerback Michael Parkhurst, Golden Boot winner and MLS MVP Josef Martinez, Europebound playmaker Miguel Almiron and steady goalkeeper Brad Guzan, who flung his arms out and ran around imitating an airplane when the final buzzer sounded.
Seeking his first MLS Cup win in his fifth try, the 34-year-old Parkhurst made a play in the 39th minute that wound up creating some offense for the Five Stripes. After Leandro Gonzalez Pirez lost possession for Atlanta on the left wing, Portland used a pair of passes to put the ball into the midfield.
But Parkhurst pressed up, and his tackle on Portland’s Jeremy Ebobisse forced the ball to roll into the Timbers’ penalty box, where Martinez got a touch on the ball. Martinez, operating as smooth as lyrics from Andre 3000, ran away from Liam Ridgewell and danced around Jeff Attinella before tapping the ball into an open net for his 35th goal of the season.
Martinez was subbed off in the 76th minute for Hector “Tito” Villalba, another speedy South American playmaker. Martinez finished the match with a goal, an assist, 10 successful passes and a clearance.
Ebobisse responded for Portland with a headed shot on-goal just moments later, but it was saved by Guzan, giving the Five Stripes the advantage at halftime.
Portland began the game by sitting back and absorbing Atlanta’s attack and pressure. The Timbers were successful for the most part and defended well aside from the loss of possession that led to Martinez’s goal. But Portland had just 43 percent of possession in the first half and
tallied one shot. Meanwhile, the Five Stripes got off four shots, took two corner kicks and completed eight open play crosses in the first half.
The Timbers’ inability to score in the first half was somewhat due to them bunkering down, but when they did get out on the counter, they had trouble completing passes in the final third against Atlanta’s back line. Guzan didn’t touch the ball until 17 minutes into the match but had more work in the second half when the Timbers put three shots on-target.
Guzan made his third save of the match in the 86th minute, diving to his right and hauling the ball in like a wide receiver. The 34-year-old American finished with four saves and claimed two crosses. Just twice over five playoff matches did shots get past him.
Atlanta added to its total on the scoreboard in the 54th minute following a free kick from Almiron. He lofted the ball into the box and it was met by Martinez, whose header put the ball at the far post, leaving an unmarked Franco Escobar to deliver a sliding shot into the goal. The score was the third of the season for the Argentine defender and his second in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
It’s the first championship a major Atlanta pro sports team has won since 1995 when the Braves won the World Series. It’s the first soccer title the city has seen since 1968 when the Atlanta Chiefs won the NASL championship.
For Atlanta United, winning the MLS Cup caps Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s career as the club’s first coach. With the help of general manager Darren Eales and technical director Carlos Bocanegra, the Argentine tactician built the roster from scratch.
Atlanta was ambitious from the beginning, going after young South American talents like Villalba, Almiron, Martinez and Gonzalez Pirez instead of seeking out aging European stars like the rest of the league had. With Martino, Eales and Bocanegra at the helm, Atlanta drew up a blueprint for how an expansion team can compete right away and capture attention of a fanbase.
And now, with an MLS Cup, they’ve shown that plan not only puts an exciting product on the field but that it wins.
Eales and Bocanegra will stay put while Martino will take another turn in his well-traveled coaching career. He turned down a team option earlier this year and is rumored to be the next manager for the Mexican national team.
This may have been the final game for Almiron too, who quickly established himself as one of the league’s top players. Twice he was an All-Star and named to the league’s Best XI. The Paraguayan midfielder was subbed off in the 90th minute for Ezequiel Barco and finished Saturday’s match with 30 successful passes, two tackles and an assist. Almiron has many times expressed a desire to play in Europe and has recently been linked to rumors with many clubs in the English Premier League.
The pregame tifo that draped in front of Atlanta’s supporters section said it all. It showed a red and black train with “MLS 3.0” plastered in front of it. Atlanta United is the conductor of that train. Its spending, its play and its fans have pushed the league into a new era.
And nothing is going to stop that train from rolling now.