An impressive point on the road for Atlanta United Saturday, who became the first team in seven matches to get a result at Yankee Stadium against NYCFC. Earning a draw on the road against the team with the second-best record in the Eastern Conference is an achievement in any right, and battling performances like that could prove very useful come playoff time. But as always, this team wants more.
“It’s good to take a point,” said goalkeeper Brad Guzan after his man-of-the-match performance. “That can’t go unnoticed. But at the same time, we need to make sure that we’re better on Wednesday.”
“I think it was a good point,” Tata Martino told reporters, through a translator. “I thought it was a great performance by Brad but we know we still have to keep working to improve on our performance.”
There’s no doubt it took a special performance from the man in net to preserve the score line, with Brad Guzan’s nine saves on the match a franchise record for the club. His teammates were quick to point out his importance in the back.
“[Brad] was a wall back there,” said Captain Michael Parkhurst. “Countless big-time saves, he really preserved a point for us. The rest of the team, we did what we could. There were some good tackles in there. Some hard-fought moments. Some tired legs running at the end, but we all dug deep and when we weren’t good enough, Brad was.”
While the Five Stripes weren’t as dominant as they’ve been in the past, they’re still the first team to get a result in this venue. And getting a result when you’re not at your best can be the difference between a good side and a great one.
“[It’s a] tough place to play,” Parkhurst said. “A very good team, tough conditions. Hot out today, a dry field. So we’ll take the point for sure.”
“They’re a good team, we knew that coming in,” Guzan said. “We knew it was a hard place to come. But we were up for the challenge and the guys in there left everything on the field.”
The team’s next challenge isn’t much easier, another road match against one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference: the Columbus Crew. But the team is well aware of what they need to improve on to get another result.
"We took on a lot of pressure today, particularly after we scored," Parkhurst said after the match. Once we go up one-zero, we didn’t do a good enough job of controlling the game."
“We have to get pressure on the ball,” said Guzan. “We have to make sure that we close guys down. We need to have a stronger mentality when we’re not in possession of the ball how we’re going to deal with it.”
The team is back in Atlanta recovering and already getting ready for their next test. They travel to face the Crew on Wednesday, then get a weekend off, before returning to face the Chicago Fire at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the fifth round of the U.S. Open Cup next week. Tickets to that match are still available, so make sure you’ve secured yours here.
