Atlanta United improved to 3-0 in the preseason with a 2-1 victory against Celaya on Sunday in Guadalajara, Mexico thanks to an own-goal caused by Luiz Araujo and a brilliant individual effort from Jake Mulraney.
Several players saw their first action for the MLS team this preseason, including Mulraney, Josef Martinez, Ronald Hernandez, Caleb Wiley and Machop Chol.
Unofficially, Atlanta United finished with 18 shots, nine on goal to Celaya’s 14 and two. The format consisted of three 30-minute periods. The first team played the first two periods as manager Gonzalo Pineda continues to work on the team’s fitness.
Pineda said he was pleased that there were no injuries, that the team’s fitness improved and that some of the attacking ideas they’ve been working on, such as playing out of the back, he saw on Sunday. He said the team tried to press and it was broken a few times by Celaya, which is a second division side currently in season, so there are things to work on.
“I’m very happy about some of the reactions and the behaviors I saw,” Pineda said.
Atlanta United has two matches scheduled for Feb. 13 against Mexican power Chivas and Tepatitlan, both in Guadalajara. The team will finish Feb. 20 at Birmingham before opening its MLS season on Feb. 27 against Sporting KC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Atlanta United’s starting lineup was composed of goalkeeper Brad Guzan, centerbacks George Campbell and Alex de John, fullbacks Hernandez and Andrew Gutman, midfielders Ozzie Alonso, Franco Ibarra and Matheus Rossetto, wingers Tyler Wolff and Araujo, and striker Martinez. Centerback Alan Franco wasn’t available because he is in the Health and Safety protocol. Among the players who weren’t selected by manager Gonzalo Pineda include midfielders Santiago Sosa, Marcelino Moreno, who is still feeling pain after being stepped on two weeks ago, Emerson Hyndman and fullback Brooks Lennon, who are recovering from injuries. Pineda said Lennon and Sosa are recovering well. Centerback Miles Robinson recently returned from playing for the U.S. in its recent World Cup qualifying games.
As they did against the Georgia Storm and Georgia Revolution in its previous two games, Atlanta United started quickly when Martinez was denied from close range in fifth minute after he timed a run between Celaya’s centerbacks.
Celaya took a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute. It was the first goal conceded by Atlanta United this preseason. Unpressured, play switched from Celaya’s left to its right, near the back post. The unmarked player headed the ball back toward the center of the box, where it was volleyed in from close range by another mostly unmarked player as Atlanta United’s defense became stretched with the quick switches of play.
It may have been good that Atlanta United fell behind early because in its history it doesn’t have a great record of rallying.
“They were running or pressing us, putting us in uncomfortable situations and that’s the whole point of preseason is kind of, work out the kinks,” de John said. “And when things go wrong, how can we fix it? What can we do to improve and I think we got better and better as the game went on.”
Wolff volleyed over the bar in the 16th minute after a nice run through Celaya’s backline and beautiful, cross-field pass from Araujo to find him.
Atlanta United put together another nice sequence featuring touches by numerous players on both sides of the formation a minute later that ended with an Araujo shot blocked for a corner kick.
Atlanta United tied the game in the 51st minute when Araujo, who had switched sides with Wolff, put in a low hard cross that was turned into his own goal by a Celaya defender. Pineda said the goal was a result of something the team has worked on during training.
Guzan kept the game tied in the 52nd minute when he dove low to his right to deflect a powerful header from 6 yards by a Celaya player.
Unofficially, the first group totaled 11 shots, five on goal and five corner kicks, to Celaya’s six, two and two.
The team made 10 changes for the final period with de John continuing.
Among those who came in were goalkeeper Bobby Shuttleworth, centerback Mikey Ambrose, fullbacks Wiley and Aiden McFadden, midfielders Amar Sejdic, Mulraney, Aiden McFadden, Erick Centeno and Chol, and striker Jackson Conway.
Conway hit a low, hard effort that was headed toward the goal’s lower right corner until it was palmed away by the goalkeeper in the 65th minute.
Mulraney, in is first preseason action, gave Atlanta United a 2-1 lead in the 70th minute. First, he beat two defenders before hitting a left-footed shot from 19 yards into the goal’s lower left corner. Mulraney was being used as an attacking midfielder and not as a winger, which is the position he typically plays. Pineda said they did so because they liked some of the things Mulraney does. Mulraney said he enjoyed playing centrally.
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Atlanta United’s 2022 MLS schedule
Feb. 27 vs. Sporting KC, 3 p.m., FS1
March 5 at Colorado, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
March 13 vs. Charlotte, 4:30 p.m., FS1
March 19 vs. Montreal, 4 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 2 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 9 at Charlotte, 3 p.m., ESPN
April 16 vs. Cincinnati, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
April 24 at Miami, 1 p.m., ESPN
April 30 at Montreal, 4 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
May 7 vs. Chicago, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
May 15 vs. New England, 2 p.m., ESPN
May 21 at Nashville, 7:30 p.m. FOX
May 28 vs. Columbus Crew, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
June 19 vs Miami, 4 p.m., ESPN2
June 25 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
June 30 at New York Red Bulls, 8 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 3 at NYCFC, 5 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 9 vs. Austin, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 13 vs. Real Salt Lake, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 17 vs. Orlando, 3 p.m., ABC
July 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 9:30 p.m., FS1
July 30 at Chicago, 5 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
August 6 vs. Seattle, 3 p.m., ABC
August 13 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. BSSO/BSSE
August 17 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
August 21 at Columbus, 6 p.m., FS1
August 28 vs. D.C. United, 4 p.m., UNIV
August 31 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 4 at Portland, 5:30 p.m., FOX
Sept. 10 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Sept. 14 at Orlando, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Sept 17 vs. Philadelphia, 3:30 p.m., UniMas
Oct. 1 at New England, 1 p.m., UniMas
Oct. 9 vs. NYCFC, TBD, BSSO/BSSE
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