Atlanta United keeps falling behind within the first 15 minutes of its MLS games. It keeps losing.
In fact, Atlanta United’s six goals allowed during the first quarter-hour are the second-most in the league, second only to Vancouver.
But its record of 0-5-0 in those games is the league’s worst.
If Atlanta United (4-8-2) wants to move from 11th in the East to above the 10-team playoff line, it can’t keep falling behind. It will get its next chance at D.C. United (2-7-5) on Saturday.
“Been a point of emphasis for weeks,” interim manager Stephen Glass said. “I think it’s focus, not tactics. They are well aware of it because they feel it as well because it’s costing us games.”
The Five Stripes have allowed 19 goals this season, which means 31.6% of scores against it have come in the first 15 minutes. Its penchant for beginning poorly goes against the rest of the league’s teams. Within MLS, 14% (71) of 508 goals have been scored in the opening 15 minutes. That’s the second-lowest percentage in a 15-minute segment this season. Thirteen percent have been scored between minutes 16-30.
D.C. United is one of 10 MLS teams to give up a goal in the first 15 minutes but still manage to get a positive result. It is 1-1-1 this season in that situation.
Giving up goals not only puts a dent on the scoreboard, it can pock the mind.
“It’s always hard playing down a goal,” Atlanta United striker Adam Jahn said after the team fell behind in the seventh minute in its recent 2-0 loss at Chicago. “You have to chase the game a lot more and then you have to take more risks that you would normally if it was 0-0. We have to fix giving up early goals.”
Jon Gallagher, another of the team’s strikers, said he doesn’t understand why the team waits for the opponent to score before it attempts to play its best soccer.
“Why do we do that, I don’t know,” he said.
Gallagher noted that it took Chicago scoring two goals – the second came in the 39th minute – before "we got that kick in the behinds and then we started playing.
“Sometimes it takes that pressure away, which is strange as a footballer. Sometimes you just feel like that mentality you’ve got to go score goals.”
Compare that effort, or lack of, in the previous game against Dallas, which Atlanta United won 1-0. The team started brightly, flying into tackles and pressuring the Toros into mistakes until the hosts broke through in the 55th minute on a penalty kick by Jeff Larentowicz.
“Most of our best performances have been in the second halves this season,” Brooks Lennon said. “I don’t know if it’s guys aren’t ready from minute one. I think that’s been a problem for us these past couple games. But I think a great example for us was the game against Dallas and how well we came out in the first half and the intensity we need to play with in order to not go down early in these games.”
Early goal issues
Record of MLS teams when giving up a goal within a game’s first 15 minutes this season:
(W-L-T)
Atlanta United 0-5-0
Chicago 0-2-0
Colorado 0-0-0
Columbus 0-0-1
D.C. United 1-1-1
Cincinnati 0-2-0
Dallas 0-1-0
Houston 0-1-2
Inter Miami 1-2-0
LA Galaxy 1-2-0
Los Angeles FC 1-2-2
Minnesota 0-2-0
Montreal 2-2-0
Nashville 0-2-0
New England 0-0-0
New York City FC 0-1-0
New York Red Bulls 1-0-0
Orlando 1-1-0
Philadelphia 1-0-0
Portland 0-1-0
Real Salt Lake 0-2-2
San Jose 1-2-0
Seattle 0-2-0
Sporting KC 1-0-1
Toronto 1-1-1
Vancouver 0-4-0, four goals coming against LAFC
*Information provided by MLS
Atlanta United coming games
Oct. 3 at D.C. United (2-5-5), 7 p.m., FSSE
Oct. 7 vs. Orlando (6-2-4), 7 p.m., FSSE
Oct. 10 vs. New York Red Bulls (4-6-2), 6 p.m., FSSO
Oct. 14 at Miami (3-7-2), 8 p.m., FSSE
Oct. 18 at Toronto (6-2-4) in Hartford, Conn., 7:30 p.m., FSSE
Oct. 24 vs. D.C. United (2-5-5), 4 p.m., FSSE
Oct. 28 at Orlando (6-2-4), 7:30 p.m., FS1
Nov. 1 vs. Cincinnati (3-6-3), 7 p.m., FSSE
Nov. 8 at Columbus (8-1-3), 3:30 p.m., FSSE
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