Their kits still soaked with champagne as they celebrated winning the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta United's players will need those uniforms back soon because they have another big game on Saturday.
In a first-place showdown in the MLS Eastern Conference, Atlanta United will play at Philadelphia on Saturday. Both teams have 48 points, but Atlanta United has the first tie-breaker, most wins (15-14). Both teams are trying to stay ahead of NYCFC, which has 47 points but has played two fewer games than the Union and one less than the Five Stripes.
“We’ve got to make sure we recharge the batteries and find a way to go up there and put together a performance that allows us to get a result,” Atlanta United goalkeeper Brad Guzan said just before Julian Gressel poured part of a can of Bud Light on his head.
Winning the Campeones Cup two weeks ago, followed by the U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, are two of the trinity of trophies Atlanta United hopes to take. The last, of course, is to defend its MLS Cup. That’s why Saturday’s game in Chester, Pa. is important.
The team that finishes in first place in their conference will get to host their playoff games until the MLS Cup in the league’s new single-elimination structure for the postseason. The first-place team also receives a bye in the first round. The playoffs will start Oct. 19. The MLS Cup, hosted by the remaining team that finished with the most points, will be Nov. 10. Should Atlanta United advance in the playoffs, and LAFC not advance out of the West, it is tracking to host the MLS Cup for the second consecutive season.
So, getting three points on Saturday is why Tuesday’s celebration likely didn’t last long into Wednesday morning.
“This is something we’ll enjoy tonight, recover tomorrow, and then, all focus goes to Philly,” Gressel said.
After the Philadelphia game, Atlanta United won’t play again until it hosts Columbus on Sept. 14. It will be the team’s first extended break since the beginning of June. It has played 18 games since returning from that break on June 13.
“Philadelphia – we’ve been neck and neck for the last two months,” Atlanta United’s Justin Meram said. “It’s going to be a difficult match. It’s always tough to play there, but we’re going to celebrate tonight and regroup tomorrow.”
The players are admittedly tired and ready for the upcoming break.
The team has six games remaining after Philadelphia. Three are at home against Columbus, San Jose and New England in the finale on Oct. 6. The remaining three are at Cincinnati, NYCFC and Montreal. The toughest will be at NYCFC, because of its quality and the difficulty of playing on the tiny pitch at Yankee Stadium, and likely the games against the Impact and the Revs because they may need wins to make the postseason, while Atlanta United may need to win to secure that No. 1 seed and homefield advantage.
As if it wasn’t already motivated enough.
“It’s not feeling satisfied,” Guzan said. “If that makes sense. It’s a feeling of, yeah, we’ll enjoy tonight, and we understand what it’s about to win trophies and win big tournaments, but ultimately, there’s a big one later on in a few months, and so, we’ve got a big game Saturday. We’ll enjoy it for a few hours and get ready to go again.”
About the Author
