The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta United writing a new scoring script for this season
Atlanta United has earned seven points from its past three games with goals in stoppage time. The most recent came in Saturday’s 1-0 victory against D.C. United, clinched with a goal by Marcelino Moreno in the 94th minute.
Whether it is karma or probability blessing the team, the outcomes are much different than last year, when the team lost 13 points after it was winning or tied after the 75th minute.
Captain Brad Guzan said the team believed in itself last year but the positive results didn’t happen. This season, that belief is being supplemented by a desire to keep working and keep fighting.
“Maybe in years past we didn’t have those areas where we’d be able to roll our sleeves up and join a dogfight and come out on top,” he said. “And (Saturday night) we did that.”
Those six points — three earned with a goal in the 96th minute against Charlotte, one earned with a goal in the 92nd minute against Montreal and then Saturday’s goal by Moreno from a Brooks Lennon corner kick — moved the team to third in the East with a good chance to stay near the top in the coming weeks. It trails first-place Philadelphia by three points. It has games upcoming at Charlotte, at home against Cincinnati, at Inter Miami and at Montreal, which are among the worst teams in the East based upon points.
Manager Gonzalo Pineda and Guzan said Saturday’s result was important, and a testament to the team’s character, because two players, Matheus Rossetto and Ozzie Alonso, had to leave with injuries. Josef Martinez was subbed off midway through the second half because Pineda felt he had given all he could after spending the past week with Venezuela for its World Cup qualifying games. Andrew Gutman, who successfully minimized the effectiveness of Julian Gressel, was noticeably dealing with different injuries. Thiago Almada was making his first start. Moreno went 90 minutes for the first time this season.
The ingredients were there for the team to fall back into 2021 mode.
The team overcame that because of its focus in training, according to Moreno, and the depth of its bench, according to Pineda.
“I think it says a lot about a team that doesn’t give up that last year, I remember we gave up a lot of points at the end of the games,” Pineda said. “And now we’re doing completely the opposite. And that, for me, is a massive achievement . ... I mean, those are nice points to achieve at the end of the game.”