CHICAGO -- Atlanta United has played nine matches. It is 3-3-3. It is above the playoff line but is already nine points off the pace for first and four off the pace for fourth.
That may be either unsettling for the more passionate of the team’s supporters, or an understandable reflection of team’s travails with injuries and its effects for the more logical of the Five Stripes followers.
Manager Gonzalo Pineda was asked after Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Chicago, which ended a winless April, if he yet knows what this team is capable of.
“I think once we start to have some consistency in the players available ... there’s been so many things happening in the first nine games that it’s really difficult to, to even evaluate ourselves,” he said.
Pineda is correct.
Pineda has had available his preferred starting 11 of Giorgos Giakoumakis, Thiago Almada, Xande Silva, Saba Lobjanidze, Tristan Muyumba, Bartosz Slisz, Brooks Lennon, Caleb Wiley, Stian Gregersen, Derrick Williams and Brad Guzan for just three matches. They were the first three matches this season. The team went 2-1-0 with six goals scored and two allowed.
Since then, injuries to Giakoumakis, Gregersen, Williams and Silva, in addition to injuries to backup striker Jamal Thiare, backup centerback Noah Cobb have reduced the opportunities for the players to build chemistry and confidence in each other.
It was evident in Saturday’s scoreless draw with Chicago, the third time this season the team was shut out. Back-post crosses were made to players making near-post runs. Cut-back passes were made to players darting into space.
Overall, the team has scored the fourth-most goals (13) and is tied for first in allowing (9) the fewest in the East.
“I think the performances, even though we have some absences, hasn’t dropped dramatically,” Pineda said. “So I think once we have, again, everyone and we have a lot of quality again, I think maybe we can start to get better results, but the performances have been good.”
Midfielder Dax McCarty, who made his 500th appearance in an MLS regular season or playoff match on Saturday, wouldn’t let injuries be an excuse for the team’s middling start. He said every team suffers injuries. Every team doesn’t get to roll out its preferred 11 for 34 matches.
But he said being forced to plug and play does affect cohesion.
“When you don’t start the same lineup game after game after game, I think it is hard to get that continuity in those connections, especially with a couple new players that that we brought in,” he said. “So yes, nine games in. I think we’re starting to see some patterns that are really positive. I think defensively we’re a lot better than we were last year, but we still have a ways to go in terms of tightening things up.”
McCarty took ownership of the results saying he’s one of the depth pieces who needs to play better when those above him on the depth chart can’t go.
The team recently got Giakoumakis back from a bone bruise. He came off the bench two matches ago and started against Chicago. Gregersen should return to the starting lineup for next week’s match against Minnesota. Silva is likely to miss at least one more week.
He said he thinks the team has the talent to be one of the best teams, but it hasn’t yet shown that consistently. He said the team can be naive sometimes, alluding to five dropped points because of individual errors in its previous two home matches, but he feels that holding on and earning a point against Chicago was a good sign.
“I think we’re winless in three now,” he said. “And we need to start winning games. I mean, this team is capable of a lot more.”
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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule
Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0
March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1
March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0
March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0
March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0
April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1
April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2
April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1
April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1
May 4 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
May 11 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
May 15 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
May 18 at Nashville, 1:30 p.m.
May 25 vs. LAFC, 7:30 p.m.
May 29 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
June 2 vs Charlotte, 4:30 p.m., FOX
June 15 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
June 19 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
June 22 at St. Louis, 8:30 p.m.
June 29 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
July 3 at New England, 7:30 p.m.
July 6 at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.
July 13 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 17 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.
July 20 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
July 26 vs. D.C. United in Leagues Cup, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 4 vs. Santos Laguna in Leagues Cup, 4 p.m.
Aug. 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 31 at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5 vs. Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Orlando, 6 p.m.
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