There were many positives for Atlanta United after its 3-1 victory against Sporting KC on Sunday in its season-opening MLS game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Despite not having as many as six regular starters in its opening 11, including Designated Player Thiago Almada, and losing another, Luiz Araujo, after 26 minutes, the team still managed to beat a team that will likely make the playoffs. Atlanta United defeated just one playoff team last season.
“I think it’s pretty obvious that we are happy with the result and the performance as well,” manager Gonzalo Pineda said. “I think we go game by game. So, every game we try to prepare with the best squad possible available, and today was a very good standard for the players that started the game and then the subs. So, I was pleased with that.”
Five different players got on the scoresheet for goals or assists, including two assists from Josef Martinez on goals by Araujo and Dom Dwyer. Caleb Wiley, a 17-year-old Homegrown making his professional debut, added the third on an assist by Marcelino Moreno.
“I don’t score many goals that often, so when I do it’s definitely a speechless moment,” Wiley said. “When I saw it go into the back of the net, it was a huge moment for me. To do it in front of this huge crowd, in front of friends and family is something special.”
The midfield, missing three possible starters in Santiago Sosa, Franco Ibarra and Emerson Hyndman, controlled the game. Ozzie Alonso, signed as a free agent, Matheus Rossetto and Amar Sejdic tied for the team lead (8) in completed passes in the final third, and completed at least 82.5% of their overall passes.
“I do think that he (Alonso) played a typical game of his level,” Pineda said. “A player that knows how to play offense and defense, that knows how to read the moments of the game, he knows when to stay calm, he knows when to put his leg in as well and he knows when to make defensive plays that are important.”
The team held on to its nerve and lead despite Sporting KC trimming its deficit to one with a goal in the 85th minute. Holding on to results was a problem for the team last season, when it dropped 13 points from positive positions after the 75th minute of games.
Centerbacks Miles Robinson and George Campbell, in for Alan Franco, with goalkeeper Brad Guzan and fullbacks Andrew Gutman and Ronald Hernandez, in for Brooks Lennon, helped limit Sporting KC to just two shots on goal. Gutman led the team in tackles won (5), while Hernandez tied for the lead in crosses attempted (3) and recoveries (12). Pineda said he thought that Gutman and Hernandez performed very well.
The team finished with 2.38 Expected Goals, an important metric to Pineda, to Sporting KC’s 1.38 despite being outpossessed 56.2-43.8.
The bad:
Araujo’s injury, likely a hamstring, didn’t look good, according to Pineda. The team hadn’t yet provided an update on his status Monday.
“You know, when someone feels like that after a sprint is not prognosis, but we´ll see,” Pineda said.
The team created just eight chances, which isn’t a high number, but that could be chalked up to missing so many players and a central midfield whose talents are more about distribution and possession than aggressive passes.
“I think we were creative,” Pineda said. “The problem is we missed a couple chances, a couple passes, right? That’s what I was saying like we’re in those spaces creating those gaps and then the final pass was missing.”
Some supporters expressed concern about Martinez’s form. He had just one shot and it was saved by the goalkeeper. He couldn’t get on the end of a couple of other opportunities.
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Atlanta United’s 2022 MLS schedule
Feb. 27 Atlanta United 3, Sporting KC 1
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 10 at Charlotte, 1:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN Deportes
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
Aug. 6 vs. Seattle, 3 p.m., ABC
Aug. 13 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m. BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 17 vs. New York Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 21 at Columbus, 6 p.m., FS1
Aug. 28 vs. D.C. United, 4 p.m., UNIV
Aug. 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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