Atlanta United will have an important opportunity when it plays Chicago on Sunday at Soldier Field.
First, it will be a chance to build on the good and correct the bad from Wednesday’s 1-0 victory against Dallas at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Another victory would tie for the team’s longest streak this season and would be just its second on the road this season. It is 1-5-1 in MLS games at neutral sites or away sites.
“Every win is important as we try to climb the standings,” centerback Fernando Meza said. “Main thing is we want to build confidence and keep improving what we are doing.”
A key to securing a positive result against Chicago will be playing with the same intensity and focus with which it played against Dallas. The individual errors that have negatively affected the team most of the season were mostly eliminated. Those that happened, interim manager Stephen Glass made sure to share those with the team, focusing on how Chicago could punish them if they continue.
“It is not always going to be pretty, but first and foremost we need to go out every single game with that kind of energy and intensity," fullback Brooks Lennon said. "The footballing and the prettiness will come. I think just as long as we go out there with 100 percent effort in every single player that is on the field like we did tonight, the wins will come. There are not many games left this season just because of the season being rescheduled, so every game and every three points matters now. Effort is much needed.”
Atlanta United used an aggressive press that resulted in the team expending a lot of energy. Glass, Jeff Larentowicz and Lennon expressed confidence after the game that it could maintain the pace in coming games. After Sunday, Atlanta United won’t play again until Oct. 3, so it will have a chance to rest.
“If the commitment is there, I think it’s certainly possible that we can play that way," Larentowicz said. "I think building up the stamina of the team, to find the right moments to do it, to not press within the game so that you have the ability to do it for longer stretches throughout the 90 minutes is probably what we need to do next but it is just one game and we have to look at all the positives and carry it through to the weekend.”
Second, Atlanta United (4-7-2) is in the 10th and final playoff spot in the East. Chicago (3-7-2) is in 12th. Points won by Atlanta United or split keeps distance between it and the four teams below it in the race for the postseason. There are 10 games remaining. Including Sunday’s opponent, Atlanta United will play five teams that currently are at most three points ahead of it or below it in that stretch of games.
“Will be the case the next number of weeks,” Glass said. “The bottom few teams are still able to get into the playoffs with 2-3 wins. If we can look after our own back every week. not all teams can win every week. To me the biggest, most important thing is to look after ourselves.”
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