![]() That’s the kind of human connection that good sports, when played at a high level, create. In the real world, Mercedes-Benz Stadium was bouncing. Without the performance Atlanta put on display, the headlines and talking points would be all about the Messi disappointment and, for Atlanta United, potentially more disparaging commentary. In an alternate world without some of these signings and improvements to the team, you could envision the reaction and headlines. Just how Garth Lagerwey drew it up in his mind’s eye. Xande Silva > Thiago Almada > Saba > Giakoumakis. Golden Boot calling ⚡️ /9EKYh60Fms- Atlanta United FC September 16, 2023 But my favorite sequence was this one in the second half, which showcased the skills and how these players can combine. Saturday saw the best of Matheus Rossetto, Luis Abram, Brooks Lennon, and more.īut at the same time, how about these new boys? Xande Silva was a menace - constantly running at opponents off the left flank and making things happen, as evidenced by the own goal he forced to put Atlanta United in the lead. And Atlanta isn’t just improved by the injection of quality in and of itself, but also by virtue of the fact that these new players are enhancing the skillset and playing style of the ones who were already here. There are no glaring glaring weaknesses in the team. The team now has quality through the midfield and forward lines, through the additions of Tristan Muyumba, Xande Silva, Saba Lobjanidze and others, which creates a new dynamic for opponents to play against. What allowed Atlanta United to come back? Better players, of course. Atlanta United showed off its array of talent ![]() If you want to consider yourself a team that has an opportunity to win things, the team must have confidence that in can rally from disadvantageous positions against the best teams just like Atlanta did Saturday. Saturday showed that they have both of those in spades - storming back with three goals in rapid succession to close out the half a take a lead from which they would never look back. It hasn’t been for lack of trying, but for lack of talent and cohesiveness. So many times this season, we’ve seen Atlanta unable to regain a foothold in the game from this position. There is too much respect for Marino himself from the adoring fans for that to be the expectation, and the feeling became tangible when Leo Campana sombrero flicked Miles Robinson and fired past Brad Guzan on the full volley to give the visitors a 1-0 lead in the first half. And despite a weakened Miami team without Messi and Jordi Alba, and without Josef Martinez for everything but a late cameo in front of his beloved fan base, there was no feeling in the building that Tata Martino’s team would come in and simply lie down. Atlanta United showed resilienceįor as great as the win and performance was across the 90 minutes, it was hardly smooth sailing. Lets talk some more about how they did that. And Atlanta United, a team that has had its fair share of stops and starts throughout this season, delivered in the most most striking way. Since covid, there has not been a singular game with this level of expectations from the media and massive crowd. It was as important of a performance as we’ve seen from the Five Stripes in years. Turns out they got it, thanks to the display put on by the home side in a 5-2 win for Atlanta United over Inter Miami. Almost all of these people had paid good money - in some cases VERY good money - to see an elite soccer product. After finding out late Friday night that Lionel Messi had chose to stay home and eat “pizza” instead of traveling to Atlanta for a marquee matchup in one of the crown jewel venues of MLS, roughly 70,000 fans nonetheless flooded Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday evening.
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