With advancing to the next round of Leagues Cup on the line, Atlanta United hosted Liga MX club Santos Laguna for the final match of the group stage. This was a must-win match for the 5-Stripes as they had to win either in regulation or in a penalty shootout to advance to the knockout round of Leages Cup. Their last Leagues Cup match against D.C. United ended in a penalty shootout after the 5-Stripes came back from a 3-1 deficit.
Much like the last match, Sunday's contest ended in a draw in regulation and a penalty shootout. Both teams kept each other to zero goals in the run of play but it was Santos Laguna that walked away with a 5-3 victory in the shootout.
“It is disappointment. They wanted to advance just as much as I did," said interim head coach Rob Valentino at the post match press conference. "But I also told them, ‘I’m going for the playoffs, and I hope they are there with me.’ I think they are, and I believe it is a group that that is what they want as well, so again, we will dust ourselves off and no one is going to feel sorry for us, but we will continue to move forward like we always have.”
The match began as a back-and-forth affair with Atlanta using the speed of Saba Lobjanidze to exploit the right side of the pitch.
In the 15th minute of the match Xande Silva won a free kick for Atlanta after being fouled by Salvador Mariscal. The foul was called just after Silva, with the help of Daniel Ríos and Lobjanidze, got the ball down the field.
Atlanta had several set piece opportunities in first 20 minutes of the match. The 5-Stripes connected and scored on set pieces for the first and second time this year against the Columbus Crew back on July 20.
Goalkeeper Josh Cohen, who got the start as well as the previous Leages Cup match against D.C., made his first strong save in the 30th minute after Santos went straight for goal off a set piece of their own.
Atlanta had a bit of trouble with passing in the final third of the pitch; Santos’s defense was well organized, making Atlanta earn every inch. One of their best chances came from distance from Silva in the 40th minute of the first half.
The first half ended in a stalemate, setting the stage for an important second half.
“I think we needed to press the ball more," said Ríos post-match. "We were trying to create the play outside the lines but they were defending us in a good way. I think we needed to be smart and just put the ball into the middle of the box and have more numbers inside the box.”
Interim head coach Rob Valentino made a halftime substitution with Jamal Thiaré coming in for Ríos, who had to exit during stoppage time of the first half due to injury. Immediately, Thiaré’s speed was a spark for Atlanta. With him up top, his teammates played the ball behind Santos defenders.
Cohen made a diving save to keep the score even at zero in the 52nd minute after a Santos long ball went past Brooks Lennon.
Tempers flared between both teams in the 55th minute of the match. Red cards were shown to Santos Laguna Anthony Lozano and Atlanta’s Xande Silva until the video assistant referees (VAR) called them back for just yellow cards in the 60th minute.
Both teams continued to get into the final third, but the scoring chances were scarce. In the 71st minute, Edwin Mosquera came in for Tristan Muyumba and Matt Edwards came in for Pedro Amador – who made his first start with the club. Edwards, who this summer signed a Homegrown contract with Atlanta, was in the Atlanta United system before going to play for the University of North Carolina’s soccer team for three years. He has made starts with Atlanta United 2 and worn the captain’s band for the 2s.
Mosquera made his presence known immediately by taking the ball off up the pitch and getting it to Lobjanidze. Atlanta almost got on the board in the 72nd minute when Lobjanidze headed that ball from Mosquera towards the goal, but Santos’s goalkeeper, Carlos Acevedo, made a great punching save.
The 5-Stripes made another substitution in the 80th minute - Dax McCarty for Jay Fortune in the 79th minute.
As time ticked down, it looked as if this match would be decided like the previous one – with penalty kicks.
In the 90th minute, Atlanta made their last substitution of the match when Nick Firmino came in for Silva. The substitution seemed to be a tactical measure considering Firmino has logged key minutes in MLS NEXT Pro for Atlanta United 2. In NEXT PRO, tied matches end in penalty kicks, so Firmino is no stranger to them.
During the six minutes of stoppage time added on, Atlanta had a couple of scoring opportunities. The best one came in the 94th minute when Lobjanidze got the ball to Thiaré just inside the box. Thiaré made a difficult shot from a tough angle and it went off the side of the net.
Afterf the final whistle was blown, the two clubs prepared to go to penalty shootout. Unfortunately, it was not the result that they wanted. For the second year in a row, the 5-Stripes's Leagues Cup run ended in the Group Stage.
Penalty Shootout Result
- ATL - Saba Lobjanidze (Goal), Dax McCarty (Goal), Nick Firmino (Goal), Jamal Thiaré (saved)
- Santos - Santiago Muñóz (Goal), Anthony Lozano (Goal), Santiago Núñez (Goal), Franco Fagúndez (Goal), José Juan Macías (Goal)
Atlanta United | Santos Laguna | |
|---|---|---|
Shots | 10 | 12 |
Shots on target | 3 | 6 |
Corner kicks | 7 | 6 |
Fouls committed | 13 | 17 |
xG | 1.1 | 1.1 |
Possession | 54% | 46% |
Passing accuracy | 85% | 86.9% |
UP NEXT - Time to recuperate
The next MLS match for Atlanta United will not be until August 24. They are traveling to the West Coast to take on Los Angeles Galaxy. It will be the first time these two clubs have faced each other since July of 2022.
"The outcomes we want are always the same, so each game we will approach and know that we want to be in the playoffs, which is the biggest thing, that we get as high into the playoffs as we can," said Valentino.
