Atlanta United’s recent poor form in MLS continued with a 2-1 loss Sunday at Seattle.
A fantastic individual goal from Raul Ruidiaz and a poor pass from Leandro Gonzalez Pirez that eventually led to a goal by Harry Shipp offset a goal by Josef Martinez.
“I think it was a tight game,” Atlanta United manager Frank de Boer said. “I think we could be up front, they could be up front. I think a draw at the end was maybe the best result. In sport a lot of times it’s decided by mistakes. They’re human. It’s a pity that it was on our side that we made a mistake and in the end we conceded a goal.”
The defeat was Atlanta United’s third in five league games since returning from the international break. It has allowed 14 goals in those games.
Atlanta United (9-8-3) failed to make up ground on Philadelphia in the race for first in the East. Atlanta United will host Houston Wednesday and D.C. United on July 21.
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“It’s quite frustrating,” de Boer said. “I can’t say we played better. I really had the feeling that we were into the game. Very disappointed about the result. Again, we had a to get a minimum one point out of the game.”
The game was hyped as the “Hate Game” because the success both franchises have experience on the field and at the turnstile in their short histories in MLS, making them objects of jealousy from supporters of other teams. It wasn’t a classic display of soccer. Players on both teams had trouble staying on their feet on the turf that was recently installed.
But Seattle created more chances and was more threatening throughout the game in taking 18 shots, six on goal, to Atlanta United’s 11 and 2.
“When you come on the road it’s difficult and when you come on the road to Seattle it’s very difficult,” goalkeeper Brad Guzan said. “We had chances in the first half. When you are on the road you have to find the back of the next with one of those. You have to punish them when you get those half chances.
“Having said that, we shoot ourselves in the foot. Not good enough in certain areas, you pay the price.”
De Boer made just one change — Julian Gressel in place Emerson Hyndman — to the starting lineup that defeated St. Louis, 2-0, in the U.S. Open Cup. The rest of the lineup: Goalkeeper Guzan, fullbacks Franco Escobar and Brek Shea, centerbacks Miles Robinson and Gonzalez Pirez, defensive midfielders Darlington Nagbe and Eric Remedi, midfielder Julian Gressel, Pity Martinez and Justin Meram, and striker Josef Martinez.
Things started poorly for Atlanta United when Shea went down in the fourth minute with an apparent right knee injury. He walked off the field and jogged around. However, Michael Parkhurst came on in the seventh minute.
Seattle had the better of the chances early, with one shot going over the bar from just a few yards and Guzan coming out to close down another shot from just a few yards in the 29th minute. Robinson had a sliding block of a close-range shot by Shipp in the 32nd minute to keep the game scoreless.
Atlanta United began to get into the game in the final 10 minutes to create several scoring opportunities, the best being a shot from Gressel that went over the goal.
Atlanta United thought it had a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute when Pity Martinez scored from a tight angle. However, he was ruled offside.
Seattle took a 1-0 lead in the 58th minute on a fantastic goal by Ruidiaz after a turnover by Gressel. Ruidiaz chested down a pass, brushed aside a weak tackle by Escobar at the top of the penalty box, chipped Robinson as he tried to close him down, ran around him to the ball and blasted a shot past Guzan from about 6 yards in the 58th minute.
De Boer said Atlanta United knew that Seattle was dangerous with long throws, which is how the play that led to the goal started.
“Good action by Ruidiaz but we have to do better at that moment,” de Boer said.
Atlanta United equalized in the 65th minute when Josef Martinez hammered a header to the near post on a corner kick by Pity Martinez. It was Josef Martinez’s 13th goal and Pity Martinez’s fifth assist.
Seattle re-took the lead on a goal by Shipp in the 71st minute. The play started when a poor pass from Gonzalez Pirez was intercepted by Jordan Morris 25 yards from goal. Nicolas Lodeiro chased down the loose ball and hit a pass to Morris, and his cross to the back post found Shipp for the header into the ground and back up into the opposite corner.
Gonzalez Pirez’s pass was another example of the defensive lapses that have plagued Atlanta United since returning from the international break.
Gonzalez Pirez said he was trying to play a pass to Parkhurst.
“I made a bad pass,” he said. “I made a mistake and it cost us a goal.”
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