Atlanta United and the Philadelphia Union came into Matchday 35 looking for a win to help their chances of getting and keeping a playoff spot. The 5-Stripes had not earned a point at Subaru Park since 2018, but they changed that Saturday, walking away with a comeback 1-1 draw.
"We’ll see. We’ve got a home game now against Montréal and that’s one that we have to win. I’ve talked to them about this stage is about winning games," said interim head coach Rob Valentino. "I think that point, in the end, well we’ll see at the end where we’re at. But I think it’s going to be massive. I always want three, and there were chances there maybe to go and take it."
What was at stake Saturday in Philly?
This match was the start of arguably the biggest week this season for Atlanta United in their hunt to qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs: three matches, one of the road against the Union and two at home, with nine points on the line. Coming into match, the Philadelphia Union sat at ninth in the Eastern Conference with 36 points while Atlanta sat at 11th with 33 points, meaning this game was a six-point swing.
The last time these two teams met was earlier this season back in April. Daniel Ríos and Caleb Wiley each scored in the second half, but Philadelphia fought back with a pair of goals in four minutes to split the points at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
How did Atlanta United handle the Union’s style of play?
The Union had outscored their opponents 9-1 in the last two matches. Atlanta’s tools to the match included not letting Philadelphia get early momentum.
Over the years, Philadelphia has adopted a very physical style of play. The biggest task for the 5-Stripes coming into Subaru Park was going to be how they handle that. In the beginning of the match, the Union were able to pressure to break up Atlanta’s backline. Much of Philadelphia’s success comes from making their opponents uncomfortable by trapping them in the middle third. To combat that, Atlanta had to focus on passing side to side. As well as finishing plays – in the early stages, Philadelphia had second and third chances with the ball.
Things started to take a turn in the 5-Stripes favor in the last 15 minutes of the first half. Atlanta started to push back against the Union’s direct style of play by giving them a taste of their own medicine. Despite lopsided possession numbers in the first half, the importance is what Atlanta does with that possession.
How Atlanta scored the equalizer
It was Saba Time at Subaru Park. The play started with Atlanta maintaining pressure in the final third. Bartosz Slisz got the ball to Daniel Ríos, who swung out wide near the penalty area. After receiving the ball from Ríos, Brooks Lennon made a great pass to Saba Lobjanidze, who headed the ball past Union goalkeeper Andre Blake.
This marked Lobjanidze’s eighth goal of the season, as well as Lennon and Ríos’s seventh and third assists, respectively.
How Atlanta allowed the opening goal
The Union had two goals taken off the board due to being offside. The first coming in the 18th minute of the match; Daniel Gazdag was caught offside. The second goal was waved off in the 55th minute, when after a scrabble play, Mikael Uhre was caught offside.
In the 61st minute, Philadelphia got on the board with a goal from Nathan Harriel. It came just after a shot by Jack McGlynn was stopped by Atlanta United Homegrown Tyler Wolff. It was a broken play by the 5-Stripes as Harriel was wide open in the central position outside the box.
"That being said, if you’re being a realist, 1-1 is probably a fair result," said Brad Guzan. "I don’t know if we deserve three but at this point whether you deserve it or not, I’d much rather take three than one.”
Atlanta United seems to play more direct under interim head coach Rob Valentino. Did that work against the Union?
Since their first match in 2017, Atlanta has been known for their offensive-minded style of play. But when Atlanta matches up with a team who plays a physical, north-south type, possession numbers often flip. When that happens, and they’re playing a team with better control, Atlanta United must be efficient when they have the ball.
The 5-Stripes experienced this back-to-back with playing the New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union. The directness of their play can be measured by the amount of chances they had comparative to their possession. Though Philadelphia dominated in the possession numbers and shots taken, Atlanta walked away with a higher expected goal average.
Philadelphia Union | Atlanta United | |
|---|---|---|
Shot | 22 | 9 |
Shots on target | 7 | 1 |
Corner kicks | 8 | 9 |
Fouls committed | 8 | 8 |
xG | 1.10 | 2.10 |
Possession | 51% | 49% |
Passing accuracy | 85% | 85% |
What's next for Atlanta United?
Three matches are left for Atlanta United in the regular season. The club has just two home matches remaining on the regular season schedule, so don’t miss your chance to be part of Atlanta’s 2024 season:
- October 2 vs. CF Montréal – View Tickets
- October 5 vs. New York Red Bulls – View our last chance ticket offer
Atlanta United's regular season will conclude on the road against Orlando City SC on Decision Day on Saturday, October 19.
