Adam Jahn, a player Atlanta United supporters have beaten up on social media most of this season, came good on Saturday by scoring the game-tying goal against Orlando at Exploria Stadium. It was his first for the team.
Making that goal and result a bit sweeter, Jahn then made a “sshing” motion toward a few of the Orlando supporters. It was the same motion he made toward Atlanta United supporters after helping Columbus knock the Five Stripes out of the MLS playoffs in 2017.
“It was great to play in front of fans,” Jahn said. “It definitely adds an atmosphere. And I felt like I owed the Atlanta faithful one. So, I was happy to do it against a big rival.”
As often happens, attitudes about Jahn on social media quickly changed. Instead of some asking for Jahn to be cut, or comparing him to a tree, there was this:
“That was fantastic for him,” interim manager Stephen Glass said. “I’m very pleased for him. The work rate he’s been putting in for the team goes unnoticed and unrewarded at times. So, for him to get in there and score, he had another opportunity earlier to score as well.”
It could be argued that the team’s tactics didn’t fit Jahn’s strengths. A tall player, he has rarely been the target of crosses. His two shots on goal on Saturday were just his second and third this season in eight appearances totaling 367 minutes. Both shots were headers. The first Jahn couldn’t get much power on and apologized that he didn’t do better.
“I owe Brooks (Lennon) a dinner because he hit a great ball in a few minutes after I came on and I kind of headed it into my shoulder and didn’t get any power on it,” he said. “He, especially, plays in a great ball. So, we have the pieces there. The key for us is to keep believing in ourselves. And eventually they’ll start falling and we’ll get on a roll here.”
For the second time in as many weeks, Glass said that he could see playing Jahn and Erick Torres, who Jahn replaced in the 71st minute, could be paired together. Atlanta United will play at Inter Miami on Wednesday and at Nashville on Saturday.
“I think we keep pushing each other and you’ll see a lot more goals coming from us,” Jahn said.
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