With an MLS playoff berth locked up and in control of the Supporters’ Shield, Atlanta United’s defenders can continue to fine-tune their performances for postseason challenges.
After giving up three goals to D.C. United two weeks ago, the team rebounded to post its seventh shutout this season in Saturday’s 3-0 win at Colorado. It can go for its eighth when it plays at struggling San Jose, featuring Chris Wondolowski, on Wednesday.
“It was a confidence boost,” captain Michael Parkhurst said. “We hadn’t had a shutout in a while so that’s nice. We knew that heading into the playoffs we need to shut teams out. Our offense won’t always be able to score multiple goals. We need to be able to come up with a shutout when we need to.”
Wednesday’s challenge, facing a team that fired its coach on Monday, may be to stop Wondolowski in his quest to become the MLS all-time leading goal scorer.
Wondolowski, 35, has 142 goals in 321 appearances across 14 seasons. With eight goals this season, Wondolowski is a hat trick away from tying Landon Donovan. San Jose has six games remaining and, having already been eliminated from the playoffs, nothing else to play for other than good film for whomever becomes the full-time manager.
Wondolowski’s story mirrors that of MLS.
He came from nowhere to establish himself not as one of the world’s best, but as a solid, dependable and entertaining professional.
As Parkhurst noted, Wondolowski isn’t physically gifted. He’s not big like Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He’s not quick like Josef Martinez. And he’s rarely played on good teams and surrounded by top talent like Donovan had.
But Wondolowski is very intelligent and is a pro’s pro.
“He has a nose for goal like I don’t think I’ve ever seen before,” Parkhurst said. “He’s made the most of his opportunities.”
Wondolowski was selected by San Jose in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. He rarely played his first season and was traded to Houston. He didn’t play too often there for four seasons before he was reacquired by San Jose in exchange for a second-round draft pick before the 2009 season. He scored just three goals that season.
Everything changed in 2010. Wondolowski scored 18 goals in 28 appearances and earned his first call-up to the U.S. men’s national team next year.
He’s scored at least 11 goals every season since. He proved a handful for Atlanta United last season. He scored a beautiful goal in what what would be a 4-2 win by Atlanta United on the Fourth of July at Bobby Dodd Stadium last year.
“He’s a true professional,” Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said. “He’s a very smart player.”
Atlanta United was in its familiar 4-2-3-1 formation the last time the teams met. It may be in a more defensive-minded 3-5-2 formation on Wednesday. It’s the formation the team used to shut out Colorado and one that Martino said the team is more comfortable defensively. The defense was helped against Colorado by the effectiveness of the team’s high press, which created several turnovers, one of which led to a goal.
The 3-5-2 is typically used by Atlanta United when teams use two strikers because it creates three-on-two situations. San Jose has typically used two strikers, but it’s unclear what interim manager Steve Ralston may do on Wednesday. But it seems likely that Wondolowski will be a part of the plans.
“I hope he does break the record because of where he came from and his story, but I hope that we don’t contribute to his success on Wednesday,” Parkhurst said.
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