In Atlanta United’s 3-1 loss to D.C. United on Sunday, it gave up a lead for the fourth time in only eight games this inaugural season.
Kenwyne Jones cares not for your stats.
“What are we, eight games now?” he asked. “It’s unbelievable the kind of stats that they try to create so quickly. It’s eight games.
“At the end of the day this is an ebb-and-flow game. I don’t think we are special. Maybe it’s more focused on us because we are a new team. I don’t think we are doing anything worse or better than any other team in the league.”
Jones is correct. Atlanta United isn’t the only team giving up leads. In the past two weeks two teams (Philadelphia and New England) have given up 3-0 leads.
But Atlanta United has given up leads in a 2-1 loss to the New York Red Bulls, 2-2 draw with Toronto and 2-1 loss to Montreal Impact. The only game in which it either hasn’t won outright or hasn’t given up a lead was the 0-0 draw at Seattle.
The result is instead of having 22 points from its eight games, which would be the most in either conference, it has 11 and is tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference. The Five Stripes will play at NYCFC on Sunday.
It’s impossible to pinpoint one reason why the team hasn’t been able to hold onto leads. Captain Michael Parkhurst listed a few following Tuesday’s training: Atlanta United tends to score quickly, that it’s still developing chemistry, and in three games it has had to play a man down because of a red card.
Looking at those:
Atlanta United leads MLS with six goals scored in the first 15 minutes, and eight scored in the first 30 minutes. When they grab quick leads, which Parkhurst stressed is a great thing, it forces the other team to apply more pressure and for Atlanta United to defend for longer periods. The team has allowed three goals in the final 15 minutes of games. Several teams have given up more.
“If you have 85 minutes to give up a goal, rather than taking lead in 85th, then you are more likely to give up a lead,” he said. “It’s something we need to get better at.”
Those tasked with focusing mostly on defense: Carlos Carmona and Jeff Larentowicz in the midfield, Tryone Mears and Greg Garza at the fullbacks, Parkhurst and Pirez as the centerhalves, and Alec Kann in goal, are still learning each other.
When the core of the group was able to play together, it put together a shutout streak of 260 minutes, third-longest in the league this season. That started after giving up a penalty kick in the first half against Minnesota United and lasted until giving up a 1-0 lead in the first half against Toronto.
Red cards and injuries have forced manager Gerardo Martino to dip into the team’s bench in the past three games. Larentowicz didn’t make the 18 for the loss to D.C. United. Mears didn’t make the 18 for the 2-1 loss to Montreal, in which it was forced to play the second half with 10 men after a red card was wrongly issued to Pirez. Montreal scored two goals in the second half.
“It’s part of the learning process for any team that hasn’t been together for a while,” Parkhurst said. We need to know that once we get a lead we are in control, that the other team needs to push it, that maybe we need to be a little more patient, be a little bit safer in the back and look to dominate games that way.”
The problem isn't entirely on the defense. The offense needs to capitalize on its scoring chances , something it didn't do early against Montreal and D.C. United.
“It’s not something that you worry about,” Jones said. “You can’t be worried about leads in the game. You have to worry about what the end result will be. Is it going to be a win, a loss or a draw? That’s all you can worry about.”
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