The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Team remains sixth in East, can clinch playoffs Saturday.
If Atlanta United wasn’t going to defeat D.C. United on Wednesday at Audi Field, it wasn’t going to lose, either.
That was a talking point repeated by manager Gonzalo Pineda and players Saba Lobjanidze and Caleb Wiley after the team gave up a goal in the 80th minute to settle for a 1-1 draw.
“I told the players we’re disappointed for losing two points, but once they equalized the game, I thought that was positive that we sustained that,” Pineda said. “We say when we don’t win, we don’t lose, so that’s a good way to put it, and we were able to sustain the pressure from their side.”
With the draw, Atlanta United (12-8-10) remains in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. It trails thirdplace Columbus and fourthplace Philadelphia by two points. Atlanta United has matches remaining against both teams.
The Five Stripes will have a chance to clinch a playoff berth when they host Mon- treal on Saturday at Mer- cedes-benz Stadium.
Holding on
The “can’t win/don’t lose” talking point was import- ant because the team has dropped points from several matches this season by allow- ing late goals. Four matches ago, it gave up two goals in the final five minutes, turn- ing a victory over Cincinnati into a loss. Three matches ago, it gave up a goal in 62nd minute, four minutes after taking a 2-1 lead, to turn that lead into a 2-2 draw.
So, perhaps progress? “It’s something that we’ve talked about a lot,” Wiley said. “I mean, especially in training, when we’re play- ing our small-sided games, Coach will say a minute left, and we have to really lock in and stay focused. And we’ve got to have that game mentality, even in training. So then when we come out here, we know what to do and how to lock down what to do. And we’ve got to do whatever we have to do to not let that ball go in the back of the net.”
D.C. United’s goal came from a quick transition, according to Pineda. The scorer, Gabriel Pirani, didn’t get closed down by an Atlanta United player.
Saba streak
Lobjanidze continued his
torrid start with a goal in the 14th minute. In five appearances, he has three goals and two assists. To compare, Luiz Araujo, whose transfer to Flamengo opened the door for Atlanta United to sign Lobjanidze for a fee and sal- ary that was much lower, had three goals and two assists in 16 appearances. Araujo was the team’s highest-paid player with a salary of more than $4 million.
“It’s really great, like statis- tics,” Lobjanidze said. “But first of all, I’m a team player. So for me, it’s most import- ant if we win the game, so we will not lose the game. It’s a really good feeling. And for my confidence, also. But first is we have to win, right?”
Pineda said he will con- tinue to work with the winger in the movements in attack the team has worked on, and his defensive position- ing when the opponent has the ball on its right side.
Lobjanidze said he’s still learning about everything with the team.
GG and Almada
Giorgos Giakoumakis and Thiago Almada had off-nights compared with past perfor- mances. Pineda said that D.C. United played very physi- cally by holding or grabbing at the players.
Pineda wasn’t being critical. He said D.C. United manager Wayne Rooney said before the match that would be a tactic.
Giakoumakis put one of his three shots on goal. Pineda said Giakoumakis was unlucky to not score. Almada, the MLS assist leader, put his only shot on goal and didn’t create a scoring chance for a team- mate.
“I think more and more teams are going to try that,” Pineda said. “So we need to find solutions to finding better the spaces for them or movements or patterns of movement that we don’t allow that physical contact on them and they can receive the ball forward more often.”