Atlanta United’s players aren’t yet ready to follow the lead of the various rankings this week that have them as the top team in MLS.
The Five Stripes comfortably defeated the Los Angeles Galaxy 2-0 last week for their fifth win in a six-game unbeaten streak. They will host Montreal at 1 p.m. Saturday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Impact have already leaked 17 goals while Atlanta United has scored 17 this season, making the three points seem almost inevitable.
With a win, the team should remain ranked No. 1 in power polls produced by ESPN, MLS and the AJC, each of which had the team on top this week.
“I think it’s a little early for that,” midfielder Miguel Almiron said. “We are just getting started.”
It’s not just that Atlanta United hasn’t lost since the season-opening collapse at Houston, it’s how the team is playing that has them the talk of the league as the moment.
After the 4-0 loss to the Dynamo, manager Gerardo Martino changed the team’s formation from a 4-3-3 to a 3-5-2. It has shutouts in three of the past five games and outscored opponents 17-4.
“From our perspective we’d like to think we are one of the best,” defender Chris McCann said. “We play some good football. We are fielding a really strong team this year.”
The team’s first win came 3-1 against hapless D.C. United. That followed with a 4-1 win against Vancouver, which played most of the match with 10 men following a red card. Both victories came at home, where Atlanta United went 11-3-3 last season.
Mix those factors and it was unclear if Atlanta United was better than the team that last year advanced to the playoffs after finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference.
Then came the 1-0 win in frigid Minnesota. Atlanta United was forced to protect the lead in freezing conditions, showing a resilience that isn’t a trait typically associated with teams that play attractive soccer.
Atlanta United followed that by trouncing LAFC, which had gotten off to a hot start, 5-0 with three goals in the final minutes.
And then came the two statement games.
First, it tied then-unbeaten NYCFC 2-2 two weeks ago in what may been the best game played in the league this season. Martino said it was the best his team has played at home since its inception.
The Five Stripes followed that with the win against the Galaxy in Carson, Calif. Martino said that was the best road game his team has ever played.
Really, the 2-0 score didn’t encapsulate how Atlanta United dominated the match. McCann described it as comfortable.
Put the two matches together and it’s why Atlanta United is atop the various polls, which will have absolutely no bearing on the team’s ability to clinch one of the six playoff spots in the East, much less the MLS Cup.
But it does show the team’s potential and ability to produce results with flair, such as against LAFC and the Galaxy, or with resilience, such as at Minnesota or against NYCFC.
“We competed against a team that was top of the league and everyone is saying we are one of the best around and play good football, but we’re showing that we can go away from home and put on a good display and win,” McCann said. “... Probably our biggest downfall last year was not going on the road and picking up enough points. This year we seem solid with picking up good away points. It was the manner of the victory that was pleasing the other night. We looked strong defensively and played some really good attacking football.”
The team remains second in the East behind NYCFC with 27 games remaining. It leads the league in points per game (2.29), is second in goals scored and tied for first in goal difference (plus-9).
Atlanta United has accomplished this despite not yet playing a game at full strength. Ezequiel Barco, the most expensive transfer in MLS history, didn’t make his debut until the second half of the game against NYCFC, and first start until last week. Hector Villalba, who scored 13 goals and added 11 assists last season, didn’t play last week. Defender Franco Escobar hasn’t played since the game against Vancouver because of a concussion.
Conversely, there are tests in the next few weeks that could stop the hype before the season reaches its halfway point even if Atlanta United is playing at full strength.
After Montreal, the team must go to Chicago on May 5 and then it will host Sporting KC, the team that leads the league in goals scored (20) and is tied with Atlanta United on goal difference, just four days later on May 9. Then comes consecutive games against teams above the red line in the East: at Orlando on May 13, vs. New York Red Bulls on May 20 and at New England on May 30.
So, Atlanta United players are being prudent with not buying into the hype. But they do recognize that they are playing well.
“We are up there. We are up there,” midfielder Darlington Nagbe said. “There are a lot of good teams. Even though we are doing well, it’s still difficult to tell which team is the best team from the games so far.”
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