The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
United aims to extend home unbeaten streak
Atlanta United will again try to show it learned lessons from a defeat, and try to push its unbeaten streak at home to 13 matches, when it hosts New England today at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
With its elimination from the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday because of a 3-2 loss at Nashville, Atlanta United now can focus on trying to achieve the remaining goals set before the season.
“We had three goals going in, one of them being winning the Supporters Shield,” fullback Brooks Lennon said Friday. “So that’s our sole focus now.”
New England, the reigning Supporters Shield winner, is in 11th place with 11 points. Atlanta United, which hasn’t won the Shield, given to the team that finishes the regular season with the most points, is in seventh with 14 points. LAFC leads the race with 23 points.
To chase down LAFC, Atlanta United must start to apply lessons it is learning from tough defeats such as Wednesday’s. The team led 2-0 at halftime. It gave up a penalty-kick goal in the opening minutes of the second half, which mentally affected the players. The offense stopped doing the movements and passing that made it successful in the first 45 minutes when Thiago Almada and Luiz Araujo scored. Nashville kept applying pressure and got the equalizer as part of a secondary action following a set piece, which an inability to defend has consistently hurt Atlanta United this season. Nashville scored its winner in extra time.
Pineda and the players talked through a long video session Friday, during which
he showed them moments in Wednesday’s game when they stopped taking risks. He said that on defense the team didn’t allow many chances to Nashville when the formation was organized as a 5-4-1 or 4-5-1. He said the goals came from broken plays when the team either didn’t press correctly, didn’t win a 50/50 ball or was second to a loose ball.
The teaching moments came when they discussed moments such as when to risk making a tackle, or when to perhaps move the line 10 yards back so the defense isn’t as susceptible to a long pass.
“When we were there, we
were very solid,” he said. “So it’s a positive again. But obviously, the specific question is we cannot stop playing . ... What we are going to learn from this is not just for another playoff game, it’s going to be also throughout the season.”
New England, with reigning MVP Carles Gil and big striker Adam Buksa, will be a challenge for the Five Stripes, which will play without starting goalkeeper Brad Guzan (Achilles), centerback Miles Robinson (Achilles) and fullback Andrew Gutman (shoulder). After a poor start, the Revolution are 2-1-1 in their past four games, with eight goals scored and six allowed.
Atlanta United’s offense is starting to find its form the more that Marcelino Moreno, Ronaldo Cisneros, Araujo and Almada play together. In the past two games in which the quartet has started, the team has scored six goals. They haven’t been on the field together much because of injuries suffered by Araujo in the season opener and Cisneros arriving on loan from Chivas a few weeks later.
Pineda said that the more the players train and play together, the better the offense will be.
“It’s not magic,” Pineda said. “It takes time. They have to go through that process, but they understand better each other. And it’s not like, I just put the best players out there and they’re going to succeed. It takes time.”
Pineda and Brooks Lennon said the team is much more comfortable at home, playing on the big pitch. It is 3-0-2 at home and 1-4-0 on the road. Three of its next four are at home.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to go and get a result at home against the top team in MLS, and if we do that, we know we can stick with anyone. Whoever we play against, we can get a result,” Lennon said. “And that gives us confidence moving forward, whether it be the rest of the season or into the playoffs.”