Putting it as flatly as its offense and defense have played through 18 of 34 matches, Atlanta United has underperformed.
The team has scored only 21 goals despite spending more than $50 million on attacking talent in the past two transfer windows. Three of those were own-goals. It has been shut out eight times.
The team has allowed 34 goals despite returning every starter and depth piece from last season, but that group has been crushed by injuries. It has only one shutout. It didn’t win that match.
The team has yet to win a match away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in eight attempts. It has only four wins. It already has dropped 15 points from 10 home matches.
It just hasn’t been good.
A season that was supposed to see Atlanta United competing for its first trophies since 2019 has instead turned into the same morass that it has been since 2020.
The good intentions are there.
The club is spending money, breaking an MLS record by spending $22 million to acquire striker Emmanuel Latte Lath in the recent winter window, and another $11 million to bring back Miguel Almirón from Newcastle. This on top of the $14 million it spent to acquire Alexey Miranchuk in last year’s summer window.
But the team is not scoring and it’s not stopping opponents from scoring. In fact, it has gifted more scoring situations to opponents than they’ve created.
That’s all maddening to manager Ronny Deila.
“I have to take responsibility for it,” he said after Thursday’s 4-0 loss at NYCFC. “I don’t know what to say about it. It’s really embarrassing, and it has nothing to do with New York City. You meet and come out with 4-0 in this game. The way we do it, that is not an organized team. That is not a disciplined team. That is not a team that stands together and fights for each other. That’s difficult, very difficult. I have to say that. You need to play 95 minutes.”
Here’s a review of the team’s performance and predictive preview of what’s to come:
Who is playing well?
Despite what some national pundits continue to tweet, Alexey Miranchuk is playing well and has sacrificed himself while doing so. Miranchuk is supposed to be the fulcrum of the attack, with Latte Lath, Almirón and winger Saba Lobjanidze making runs into spaces. Almirón’s insistence of playing inside instead of on the wing resulted in Miranchuk having to drop into a deeper role more than 10 matches ago. He still leads the team in key passes (31), is second in shots on target (16) and third in expected goals (3.67).
Lobjanidze also is producing, despite having to sacrifice himself for Almirón. Lobjanidze led the team in goals (9) and was tied for assists (7) as a right-winger last season. He moved to the left before Deila was forced to move everyone around again, which resulted in Lobjanidze moving back to the right. He has yet to score but leads the team in assists (6) and is second in key passes (21). His crosses resulted in two of the own goals.
Jay Fortune has proved again to be a consistent player in midfield because of his willingness to attack opponents with his dribbling and or disrupt play with tackles. Bartosz Slisz has also played well. He leads the team in completed passes in the opponent’s final third of the pitch (94), blocks (16) and interceptions (20).
Who isn’t playing well?
It starts with Almirón. He has three goals, one a penalty kick and one he deflected though he received credit for it while standing a few yards in front of goal. He has three assists. He has one assist in his past 13 appearances. It was a secondary assist. He has one goal in his past 11. It was the deflection.
Almirón ranks fourth on the team in key passes (17) and second in expected goals (5.54), first in shots (39) and first in shots on target (16). Remember, though, only three goals from 39 shots.
If Almirón were on the wing, these stats wouldn’t be great but could be absorbed. Because everything had to change to accommodate his consistent drifting inside, his lack of production is an issue.
It’s possible that the goals will catch up to the shots. It also is possible that after this break he will return recharged. He’s played a lot of soccer for Newcastle, Atlanta United and Paraguay in the past few months.
It’s also possible that at his age (31) and the matches he’s played, he’s not the same player he was in 2017 and ’18.
If Atlanta United comes back and his production isn’t there, it may be time for Deila to consider either telling him he’s a winger and play him there, or benching him.
Latte Lath also has not produced as expected. He has a team-leading five goals. He hasn’t scored in his past 11 appearances, which coincides with Deila shuffling the front four.
Deila has referenced that Latte Lath was working through some off-the-field things that have been completed and that he expects to see a better player soon.
It can be argued that Deila’s tactics at the beginning of the season, playing a high defensive line and trying to control possession, didn’t really fit Latte Lath’s biggest asset, and arguably the team’s biggest weapon, his speed. Of course, that’s also when he was scoring. He has started to look more threatening in his past few appearances since Deila switched to a back five and counterattacking style.
Lastly, pick anyone on the back line, and they’ve struggled. The team has given up five goals from either passing the ball to the opponent in front of goal, or losing the ball in front of goal. The team has given up the third most goals (34), third most shots on goal (93) and sixth most expected goals (26.4) in MLS.
Injuries to every presumed starter (Brooks Lennon, Stian Gregersen, Derrick Williams and Pedro Amador) have made it impossible for the quartet to start together and build confidence. They have started just one match as a group. It won’t happen again anytime soon because Williams is out at least three weeks after suffering a partial tear of a tendon in his right leg in last week’s loss at NYCFC.
Because of the lack of productivity, combined with contract situations for players like Lennon, who is in the last year of his contract, it may be worth considering starting the Homegrown signees, Dominik Chong-Qui, Noah Cobb, Efrain Morales and Matthew Edwards, across the back. They have come up through the academy. Playing for the club may mean more to them because of that connection. They may bring the daring style that Deila wants to see.
What’s to come
Atlanta United is eight points out of the ninth and final playoff spot. Its goal of finishing among the top four won’t happen because it is 14 points from there.
The club could try to improve in the summer transfer window, which is scheduled to open July 24. President Garth Lagerwey said the club will try to strengthen its spine.
A challenge is the club is at its allotment of DPs (3). It has two senior roster slots open. It also has some general allocation money. It can make moves.
Vice President Chris Henderson didn’t get a lot of time to work on the roster during the first window. He’s had time to study and scout.
Playing with a back five and counterattacking seems to be the best formation and tactic for the team. Atlanta United posted its only two-match win streak using that combination.
Deila has to figure out how to get Latte Lath going and how to use Almirón in a way that also plays to the strengths of those around him.
He also has to figure out a back four that is dependable and productive.
Whatever he decides, can it get any worse? Unlikely.
Can it get much better? Likely.
The team has skilled players. It consistently has more players called into national teams than any other within MLS.
“For me, it’s about belief and confidence, all these different things, but in the end, you have to fight,” Deila said. “We have to be a force together, taking each other’s back, supporting each other, talking together, correcting each other, giving positive credits to each other, lift each other up.
“I don’t see that. We have quality, but we as a team now, we are not, especially away, the best version of ourselves. And that is, of course, it’s my responsibility.”
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Atlanta United’s 2025 schedule
Feb. 22 Atlanta United 3, Montreal 2
March 1 Charlotte 2, Atlanta United 0
March 8 Atlanta United 0, New York Red Bulls 0
March 16 Miami 2, Atlanta United 1
March 22 Atlanta United 2, Cincinnati 2
March 29 Atlanta United 4, NYCFC 3
April 5 Atlanta United 1, Dallas 1
April 12 New England 1, Atlanta United 0
April 19 Philadelphia 3, Atlanta United 0
April 26 Orlando 3, Atlanta United 0
May 3 Atlanta United 1, Nashville 1
May 10 Chicago 2, Atlanta United 1
May 14 Atlanta United 1, Austin 1
May 17 Philadelphia 1, Atlanta United 0
May 25 Atlanta United 4, Cincinnati 2
May 28 Atlanta United 3, Orlando 2
May 31 Red Bulls 2, Atlanta United 0
June 12 NYCFC 4, Atlanta United 0
June 25 at Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
June 28 at Miami, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 5 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 12 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 16 vs. Chicago, 7:30 p.m., Apple, FS1
July 19 vs. Charlotte, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 26 vs. Seattle, 7:30 p.m., Apple
July 30 vs. Necaxa, Leagues Cup
Aug. 2. vs. Pumas in Orlando, Leagues Cup
Aug. 6 vs. Atlas, Leagues Cup
Aug. 9 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 16 at Colorado, 9:30 p.m., Apple
Aug. 24 vs. Toronto, 5 p.m., Apple
Aug. 30 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m. Apple
Sept. 13 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 20 vs. San Diego, 4:30 p.m., Apple
Sept. 27 at New England, 7:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 5 at LAFC, 10:30 p.m., Apple
Oct. 18 vs. D.C. United, 6 p.m., Apple
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