Sunday's 1-1 draw against Montreal wasn't what Atlanta United's manager and players hoped for, but it was far better than Wednesday's debacle at NYCFC.
So, with the MLS playoffs upcoming in three weeks, the trip to Canada was considered good — not as good as a bowl of poutine — but still good.
Not only did the team secure a point to move into a tie with Philadelphia for second in the East, but Ezequiel Barco received his first minutes in more than a month and was impactful, captain Michael Parkhurst got his first start in more than two months and Jeff Larentowicz again proved his value as a starter in the midfield.
“We are disappointed that we tied the game,” said Parkhurst, who played 82 minutes in his first minutes since July 17. “It’s a game we should have won. But it’s a better performance on the road than the last one. Montreal is a good team and it’s challenging to come up here and play. We were close to being able to close it out 1-0 and we had a good response when they did tie it up. Overall, a lot of things to be pleased about tonight.”
With the draw, combined with Philadelphia's 2-0 loss at Columbus, those two teams have 55 points heading into Decision Day, otherwise known as the final week of the regular season. On Sunday, Atlanta United will host New England, which secured a playoff spot with a 2-0 win against NYCFC on Sunday. Philadelphia will host NYCFC in its finale on Sunday.
At stake for Atlanta United and Philadelphia is second place in the East. NYCFC has locked up first. The second place team will host its first playoff game against the seventh seed and, should it win, its second round playoff game against the winner of the first-round game between the third and sixth seeds. Atlanta United's advantage at home is undeniable: 11-2-3 compared to 6-10-1 on the road.
The bottom of the East bracket is still muddled and could be shaken up on Decision Day. D.C. United is in fourth with 49 points, New York Red Bulls are in fifth with 48 points, Toronto is in sixth with 47 points and New England is in seventh with 45. The Revs can’t climb higher than sixth because of tie-breakers. Toronto, which will host Columbus, can move to fourth with a win and loss or draw by D.C. United, which will host Cincinnati, and loss or draw by Red Bulls, which will play at Montreal.
Should Atlanta United and Philadelphia finish tied on points, the Five Stripes will win the first tie-breaker, number of wins.
The fact that so much is at stake and uncertain won’t change Atlanta United’s approach against New England, according to the players.
“It’s a home game and we want to go into the playoffs feeling good,” Parkhurst said. “We want to and expect to win that game. New England is a team that’s played really well since the change (of managers). It’s always difficult this time of year. It’s going to be tough but regardless of what they does for us in the standings, we expect to win our home games.”
Atlanta United’s performance against Montreal should give it confidence Sunday. The focus and effort that were lacking in the 4-1 loss at NYCFC were there against Montreal. Playing without leading goal-scorer Josef Martinez for the second consecutive game, Atlanta United’s offense still generated several scoring chances: Brandon Vazquez missed from close range, Pity Martinez’s chipped shot went over the crossbar in a one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Barco hit the crossbar with a chip, two goals were called back because of offside calls and Montreal’s goalkeeper made two fantastic saves in the final minutes.
The defense, which featured veterans Parkhurst and Larentowicz in the middle of the formation, kept Montreal from generating quality scoring chances until the tying goal in the 81st minute when Leandro Gonzalez Pirez was beaten to the endline by Orji Okwonkwo. His cross was touched in by Bojan Krkic.
There were far fewer helter-skelter moments than there were against NYCFC because until the tying goal Atlanta United’s defenders were winning the majority of the one-on-one battles. Julian Gressel and Justin Meram tracked back dutifully to help on defense, as did Darlington Nagbe, Emerson Hyndman, Pity Martinez and Vazquez, when needed.
“It was a team effort and from this we can build on,” Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer said. “This is what I want to see from a team that wants to challenge to win MLS. This is an effort I want to see every game, not only home games but also away games.”
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