Atlanta United’s offense continues to sputter

Atlanta United was held scoreless for the fourth time in six games in Wednesday’s 0-0 draw with Inter Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Once the envy of MLS with an attack that scored seven goals in a game in 2017, the team now has trouble even creating that many chances. It finished with four against Miami, which was two less than it created in last week’s 3-1 loss to Orlando City. Atlanta United finished Wednesday’s game with five shots, putting just one on goal, and it was a speculative, long-range attempt in the second half.

It’s hard to win if you don’t score. Inter Miami had yet to shut out an opponent until Wednesday. It has been shut out five times in its past seven games across all competitions.

“I think just a little bit of quality in the final third (is needed),” interim manager Stephen Glass said Wednesday. “We had a lot of opportunities to deliver a cross. There was two or three final passes that if they were slightly better, then we are looking at goals. Or even a decision to shoot instead of crossing at times. But there were definitely opportunities.

“We’re getting into those positions, and the more and more we get into them, the improvement will come. And I think the players will start producing in that final third when they start believing in themselves a little bit more. They look after the ball really well in the other two-thirds of the pitch, but when you get into the final third, that is when it really counts.”

My thoughts on #atlutd draw against Miami in #mls https://t.co/DsgCZgV6VN
— Doug Roberson (@DougRobersonAJC) September 3, 2020

The team was dealing with a few things last night: the sale of Pity Martinez, which Glass said affected the game plan, the return to health of midfielders Ezequiel Barco and Emerson Hyndman, and two players, striker Erick Torres and fullback Edgar Castillo, who were making their first starts this season.

Put it all together, and it resulted in a team that, once it moved possession to the opponent’s final one-third, couldn’t figure out how to create problems for opposing defenders. Looking at a passing map on MLSsoccer.com, the team had more unsuccessful passes than successful passes in the final one-third.

Credit: MLS

Credit: MLS

“Listen, the hardest thing in soccer is to score goals, right?” goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. “I’m at the other end of the pitch, so I’m not going to come out here and hammer our attacking players – and look, they’ve been fantastic for us. It’s certainly not easy when you have guys coming in and out of the lineup for one reason or another, guys trying to find their fitness, trying to find the chemistry and understanding with one another. Do I think it’s an issue? No. But of course we’d like to create more chances, and we’d like to score more goals; that’s the name of the game.”

Atlanta United’s best chance may have been his first: a shot from Torres from close range that sailed over the crossbar. The shot was produced from a good cross by Brooks Lennon on the right. Torres said the play happened quickly. He wasn’t sure if goalkeeper Luis Robles was going to come out. As the ball looped over his right shoulder, he tried to strike it with the instep of his left foot.

“Unfortunately, I didn’t have another opportunity to score and I’m aware,” Torres said. “The chances can be few so maybe in a game there will be one or two clear chances, and I have to end them in goals. I’ll study this one with a little bit more calmness, analyze it well in case I have a similar chance in the next matches and try to have that experience to see what happened.”