Atlanta United spent the past week reviewing tactics and making tweaks in hopes of taking as many points as possible from its 10 final MLS matches. The stretch starts Sunday at Seattle.
The Five Stripes had the time to get a re-education because they were bounced out of the Leagues Cup tournament in the group stage. They last played July 29.
The team can take a possible 30 points. It is in seventh place in the East, with 35 points. The team’s stated goal is to finish in at least fourth. It trails the fourth-place team, Nashville, by three points. But the 10 matches remaining, five at home and five away, on Atlanta United’s schedule feature no gimmes. Just two teams are below the playoff line. One, Miami, has rebuilt its roster and now features Lionel Messi. The other, Montreal, is one point below ninth-place D.C. United, which is in the final playoff spot.
Hence the need to relearn, refine and rededicate to high pressure, mid-block defending and breaking down opponents when Atlanta United has the ball.
“We’ve worked on a lot, and I’m really happy with how the past couple of weeks have gone,” fullback Brooks Lennon said.
The team has added new players, including central midfielder Tristan Muyumba, so the teaching was necessary to help him better understand what manager Gonzalo Pineda expects. With Lennon and Caleb Wiley sliding back to their natural positions as fullbacks, instead of playing as wingers, which they were doing, it also was a good chance for them to gain more confidence from the lessons. Midfielder Matheus Rossetto also hinted that the team may be trying “a new form.”
“We need to get everyone on the same page, and the things that we like to do, and also the guys that have been here, just understanding exactly what your role is, individually, and as a collective group, what we need to do when we are pressing teams because at times it’s going to be tough, and we need to let them build out and wait to press a team, rather than just going right away and getting broken,” Lennon said.
The team has hurt itself with individual mistakes throughout the season. It was eliminated in the Leagues Cup because of an individual error that allowed Cruz Azul’s only goal. Those errors have resulted in the team’s giving up the second most goals (39) in the league.
“It’s been the small details all year that have kind of gone and bit us in the back end,” Rossetto said. “So the last few games, it’s just been small details, small mistakes that we need to change going forward so we can be better.”
The team now is healthy. Every player other than two new signees who are waiting on paperwork, participated in Monday’s training session.
Pineda should be able to start a consistent back four, presumably Lennon, Wiley, Miles Robinson and Luis Abram, and central midfield, which will feature Muyumba, who has impressed his teammates, and Thiago Almada.
“(He’s) almost like Thiago, where he likes to have a ball at his feet in the midfield,” Rossetto said. “I think we can be more dangerous on the offensive end.”
Consistency will be crucial to helping the team earn points and execute the tactics, Lennon said.
“I’m confident that that we all know, you know what we have to achieve in the last 10 games of the season,” he said.
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Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule
Feb. 25 Atlanta United 2, San Jose Earthquakes 1
March 4 Atlanta United 1, Toronto FC 1
March 11 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte FC 0
March 18 Atlanta United 5, Portland 1
March 25 Columbus 6, Atlanta United 1
April 1 Atlanta United 1, New York Red Bulls 0
April 8 Atlanta United 1, New York City FC 1
April 15 Atlanta United 2, Toronto FC 2
April 23 Atlanta United 2, Chicago 1
April 29 Nashville SC 3, Atlanta United 1
May 6 Inter Miami CF 2, Atlanta United 1
May 13 Charlotte 3, Atlanta United 1
May 17 Atlanta United 4, Colorado 0
May 20 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 3
May 27 Atlanta United 1, Orlando 1
May 31 Atlanta United 3, New England 3
June 7 Atlanta United 0, LAFC 0
June 10 Atlanta United 3, D.C. United 1
June 21 Atlanta United 2, New York City 2
June 24 New York Red Bulls 4, Atlanta United 0
July 2 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 0
July 8 Atlanta United 1, Montreal 0
July 12 New England 2, Atlanta United 1
July 15 Orlando City 2, Atlanta United 1
July 25 Miami 4, Atlanta United 0 in Leagues Cup
July 29 Cruz Azul 1 (5), Atlanta United (4) 1 in Leagues Cup
Aug. 20 at Seattle Sounders, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 26 vs. Nashville SC, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 30 vs. FC Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 2 at FC Dallas, 8:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 vs. Inter Miami CF, 5 p.m.
Sept. 20 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 23 vs. CF Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 4 at Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 7 vs. Columbus Crew, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 21 at FC Cincinnati, TBA
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