Columbus 2, Atlanta United 1: What was said

“Yes I would agree with that. 100 percent agree. I haven’t seen the first one, the Marcelino Moreno incident in the box yet, but the (Jon) Gallagher one there is no doubt in my mind it’s a penalty kick. I don’t know how you can look at that and overturn the call, nothing that’s clear and obvious. Then obviously, they show quality in the box that we didn’t and they got the first goal which was pretty decisive in the match. So, yes we are very disappointed in that regard.”

On his emotions following the result: “It’s obviously disappointment. We came here tonight hoping to get a win and push ourselves in the playoffs. We knew it was a difficult task. We were up against one of the top teams in the East, so it was never going to be easy. We are disappointed with ourselves. That’s as far as it goes at the moment. We didn’t get what we wanted out of the game. Just disappointed right now.”

On what was working in the opening minutes of the match

“I think Ezequiel (Barco) was picking the ball up in good areas. Marcelino (Moreno) was looking dangerous. The pace of Jon Gallagher was a threat, and Jürgen (Damm) was providing a good number of crosses from the right wing. Franco (Escoabar) was backing him up, so we looked pretty effective. We were getting into dangerous areas, when we get in those area you want a little bit of quality. They showed it after the two penalty incidents, and we didn’t. I don’t think there is any doubt that they are both penalty kicks as far as I’m concerned, again I haven’t seen the Moreno one again on video. I just can’t for the life of not understand how the Gallagher one isn’t a penalty kick. We got told that he had slipped and was on his way down. I don’t think that excuses the fact that the goalkeeper smashes him and he can’t actually get up to get the ball.”

On this season

“The overwhelming feeling right now is disappointment. We didn’t achieve our goal, so that is disappointing. In terms of the fight the players showed, especially tonight, you can’t ask for more fight and spirit out of the group. We can look for more quality at times, but I told the guys in there that we didn’t not make the playoffs based on the performance tonight. There have been some few performances that were not at the level required and that’s what has ultimately cost us a playoff spot. Not the performance tonight.”

On the schedule between now and the Champions League match

“There are a lot of people that are doing a lot of work behind the scenes. I’m not aware of right now what the exact timing will be. Hopefully that will be out to us tonight or early next week.”

Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan

On the penalty decisions

“The one with Jonny (Gallagher) where he looked at the VAR and he said that he was already going down, that he was slipping, and he was already going down. I haven’t seen them back, so I don’t know if that’s the case or not. The first 15 or 20 minutes I thought we were certainly in the game and we looked dangerous. In one instance, we switch off defensively and they play through us.”

On the team’s biggest regret this season

“When you look at the personnel, the names and take that out of the equation, and you look at last year compared to last year, even the year before and the year before that, the ruthlessness in the opposition’s box, half chances, quarter chances, full chances, golden chances; we’re putting the ball in the back of the net. This year, obviously not the case. And then when that happens and at times when we defend the way we have you’re not going to get many results. Tonight, was again one of those nights.”

On what the club needs to do to get back to where it was the last couple of years

“It’s probably a bit premature to start thinking in that aspect. We’ve just come off the pitch 15 minutes ago. The frustration first and foremost from losing the game, that is still obviously very real, very raw. So, that part is disappointing, obviously. In terms of going forward, when things don’t go well there’s inevitably going to be change. That’s not for me to decide, nor any of the players. We’ll have to regroup and see what direction we look to go in.”

On positives from this season

“None. We pride ourselves on being a top club. We pride ourselves on winning games. We pride ourselves on not just making the playoffs but competing for MLS Cup. We failed in all of those areas. We need to hit the reset button before next year. It is difficult when you try to look back at the year and try and pull some positives. From start to finish it wasn’t acceptable for Atlanta United.”

Atlanta United midfielder Jeff Larentowicz

On how he’s feeling and his future

“I’m feeling frustrated. That’s the first thing. It’s disappointing, a year when you don’t make the playoffs. Especially a year like this when you’ve gone since the first week of January with the ups and downs and twists and turns along the way and you have the final day to potentially get yourself into the playoffs. It’s frustrating and disappointing. As far as next year goes, it’s not really on my mind at the moment. I’m still kind of digesting this game and the season. I’ll figure that out.”

On any positives that you can take from 2020

“There is a positive: it’s that you never want it to happen again. You know what it feels like. That’s a lesson for sure. People say you win or you learn and I think this year we learned. You win or you lose or you win and you learn. And we learned.”

On the team’s performance today and what it’s like to play in a frantic, end of season game

“I think, especially in the first half, it often happens when we come to Columbus where we get on the ball and we’re able to play an open game. I think they like playing that way. I thought in the first half we were doing well. I’m not sure why they reversed the penalty decision but they did. At that moment it was like we were getting pressure down the left, getting Jon (Gallagher) in behind, getting Jurgen (Damm) down on the right. I felt like we had a lot of possession in the middle of the field. And like you said there was a lot of fight until the end. But it’s kind of a symptom of our season. It just hasn’t been enough. It’s never been enough. Tonight was no different.”

On what happened on Columbus' first goal

“I think it was definitely something that we tried to correct tactically at halftime. Columbus are kind of famous for creating overloads in the wide spaces. They’ve been doing it for years. Usually it’s down the right. This time it was down the left. They pinned our winger back and we weren’t able to get pressure on the ball. They play inside to Zelarayan who takes a touch past a defender and is able to score. It was a tactical thing that we didn’t get right. Obviously, we adjusted at halftime but it was too late.”

On what lesson was learned from this season

“You think about the history of Atlanta United and there hasn’t been a lot of negativity, really. I think at the beginning of 2019 that fans were unhappy with the way we were playing and the results we were getting and we got a little taste of it then but we rebounded. It’s just kind of a prolonged season of ups and downs but mostly downs. The lesson is you don’t take this league for granted because teams are always rising and falling but the good ones are there all the time and it’s not just something that happens. We can’t take that for granted as a club and as players. The success that we’ve had has been from hard work and a collective attitude. When things got tough, I don’t think we had that collective mentality. It was difficult. A lot of twists and turns in 2020. But you see many teams around the league that are able to accomplish what they are with the circumstances. That’s what we’re learning. That’s the lesson. You can’t expect to come to a club or the league and say ‘we’re going to be successful.’ That’s not how it is.”

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