Atlanta United has only two training sessions to try to analyze and correct the individual mistakes that contributed to Wednesday’s 2-1 loss at D.C. United.
The Five Stripes will host Colorado on Saturday in the fifth match of a busy stretch of eight games in 25 days.
“Sometimes you can correct mistakes and sometimes you can’t. After the game in Chicago and in between the game against Columbus, we made the same errors, but we were able to beat Columbus,” Atlanta United manager Gerardo Martino said. “Sometimes you make mistakes, but you still win. Over the course of the season, we’re a team that’s made a lot of mistakes, so we still have some things to correct.”
One of the mistakes made at RFK Stadium should be fairly easy to correct. The other may not be.
The first was goalkeeper Alec Kann’s slip as he tried to make a pass in the first half. Because he slipped, his pass went directly to D.C. United’s Luciano Acosta. He created enough space for a shot that beat Kann to his near post.
That error can be chalked up more to bad luck and really not something that can be worked on in practice at the team’s complex in Marietta.
The second error was actually the result of a series of breakdowns.
D.C. United had little trouble sending crosses into Atlanta United’s penalty box, successfully completing 42 percent of its 12 crosses. Atlanta United completed 26 percent of its 19. The league average of completed crosses (which doesn’t included corner kicks) is 21.1 percent, according to MLS stats.
Though D.C. United scored just one goal from a cross, it was Patrick Nyarko’s game-winner in the second half. The pass from Chris Korb came in from the right and across the top of the penalty box to Nyarko, who had enough time to take the pass with his chest and then hit a right-footed volley into the lower right corner.
D.C. United failed to capitalize on several other chances. Nyarko hit the post once and at least two other shots fizzed just wide.
“They were good crosses, but not all crosses are the same. So they played in some good balls and we missed our individual marks on those crosses,” Martino said.
Midfielder Julian Gressel said the team discussed at halftime the need to defend the crosses better. That defense should start with not allowing the crosses be kicked at all. But Atlanta United was unable to consistently block D.C. United’s passes from the flanks.
Because of the targeting of the crosses, Kann frequently was unable to grab them or punch them away, though he said he should have done better. And acquiring taller players isn’t a solution, according to Martino.
“Tonight, we didn’t lose because of a lack of height on any of those crosses. They were just marking mistakes …” he said.
Colorado will present a similar challenge Saturday. After struggling for much of the season, the Rapids have won three of their past four, although they are coming off a 3-1 loss to the L.A. Galaxy on Wednesday.
Colorado has scored five goals from crosses, which is tied for second-most in MLS. New England leads with seven. Colorado has also scored twice from set pieces.
About the Author
