Players realize they have to find a rhythm

Team can work on newness of lineup vs. New England.

Communication will be among the areas of improvement Atlanta United hopes to see during Saturday’s match against New England in the home opener at Mer- cedes-Benz Stadium. New England is winless in its first two matches, outscored by three goals.

Atlanta United lost 1-0 to Columbus in its first match, which included a rough first half for the Five Stripes. United had few answers for the Crew’s abil- ity to pass and move and to make off-the-ball runs through defensive lines. Columbus got a deserved reward with a goal from Cucho Hernandez.

On the goal, communi- cation broke down among several players, from left winger Xande Silva, who didn’t press the first passer, to right fullback Brooks Lennon, who moved up the field to defend the wrong player, to left fullback Caleb Wiley, who didn’t see Her- nandez’s run behind him.

Atlanta United played much better in the second half. The offense, which had just one shot on goal in the first half, created several opportunities that would have split the points. The defense limited the Crew to three shots in the second half after allowing 13 in the first half.

“They really know what they’re doing,” Wiley said. “They have a clear play- ing identity and it’s hard to stop. So just being on the same page, really commu- nicating. We’ve had lots of film last week and I’m sure this week, to make sure that going into this weekend we understand what we’re sup- posed to do. And we’re con- fident about it.”

It’s not surprising the team had communication issues. The lineup featured new starters at both cen- terback spots with Stian Gregersen and Derrick Wil- liams, at defensive mid- fielder with Bartosz Slisz, and an attacking midfielder, Thiago Almada, who hadn’t been with the team for a minute during the presea- son.

Wiley said his communi- cation with Williams, who played on the left, and with Slisz, was very good.

“I think that everyone is new in this club,” Slisz said. “And we need also the time to communicate better, but I think it’s not bad.”