In the not-too-distant past, Atlanta United FC was rampaging through the Eastern Conference, with star playmaker Miguel Almiron destined for a move to the Premier League. Now the Union are the rampagers, and Atlanta arrives in Philly with the worst road record in the east and a battering ram of a schedule to close out the season.
But in Major League Soccer, nothing can be taken for granted, and the goal for Jim Curtin’s Union side is intoned by Ale Bedoya in each pregame huddle: Keep a shutout, get a goal off a turnover, harass the absolute heck out of the opponent.
Atlanta remains a side dripping with high-end talent acquired at high-end prices. But as the Union have steadily put together a club-wide system of play and matched it with the right players at the right prices, United has undone the quick-strike counterattacking side that Almiron steered through the playoffs. They hold the ball more now, and their pricey attackers are given freedom to take on 1v1 battles in the final third. Up front, Josef Martinez no longer looks like the rabbit-punch of a striker that tore through MLS at record-setting pace, and now seems unable to find his mojo as injuries to him and others derail chemistry.
All that said, there is still a ton of talent on this Atlanta roster. After all, less than a year ago the Five Stripes had two players on MLS’s list of the ten best incoming transfers. Santiago Sosa, number 10 on that list, has fought through injuries as he searches for the form that made him a highly desirable young defensive midfielder. Luiz Araujo, an extremely skilled winger/striker, could still hit a hot run of form but is currently struggling to outscore Alejandro Bedoya.
It’s hard to tell if it’s a chemistry issue or just the accumulation of injuries that have so derailed Atlanta’s season. Certainly, losing Miles Robinson has made them, understandably, more defensively frail. But for a team this top-heavy to have fewer goals than Toronto, a squad that knew their key attackers wouldn’t arrive until July, is difficult to square.
Last Saturday’s comeback win over DC United showed how dangerous the Five Stripes can be when they start to click, and any moment of mental weakness can open an opportunity that players of this caliber turn into gold. For the Union, that means they must continue to prioritize transition defense so when Atlanta gets the inevitable breakout, the cleanup is simple, workmanlike, and designed to let Philly’s superior organization take over.
Atlanta comes to Philly on August 31 at 7:00 p.m. ET for a nationally-televised brawl with the Eastern Conference leaders live on FS1.
Tickets are still available for the match up but they won’t last long since this is the only Dollar Dog Night of 2022 at Subaru Park so be sure to click here!
