After a long break, and two road matches, the 5-Stripes were back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for their first MLS match at home since a 2-1 win over the Columbus Crew back on July 20. Atlanta United looked to carry the momentum from a road win in Charlotte to Saturday's meeting with Nashville SC, but a slow start was too much to overcome for the 5-Stripes, and Atlanta fell SC 2-0.
Atlanta United were tested early when only two minutes in, Brad Guzan had to make a quick save on shot from a free kick. Nashville got on the board five minutes into match after pinning Atlanta in their defensive third. Nashville midfielder Alex Muyl was able to turn the corner around and convert the volley.
"They (Nashville) played with intensity, they played fast and aggressive, they played like they had something to lose. In the first five minutes of the game, we didn’t get out of our own half; whether it was aggression in duels or clearances," said head coach Rob Valentino after the match."
When conceding the first goal this season, the 5-Stripes have been able to respond relatively quickly. Once they were able to get into the final third of the pitch in the 10th minute, Xande Silva made a deflecting shot that Nashville keeper Joe Willis had to make a diving save on.
Crossing into the 16th minute of the match, Atlanta started to get more time with the ball. Nashville’s defensive form collapsed into the middle, which left open space on the wings for the 5-Stripes to try and exploit. Atlanta began to find room between Anibal Godoy and Brian Anunga as the Nashville midfielders continued to play far wide.
In the 32nd minute, Guzan made a lunging save on a header from Teal Bunbury. Edwin Mosquera came into match for Silva in the 37th minute.
It looked to be that Nashville doubled their lead in the 39th minute of the first half until the video referee assistant (VAR) called off the goal due to Hany Mukhtar being offside.
Atlanta ended the first half with two shots on target.
"We kind of dug ourselves in a hole from the start. We were lucky the second goal was offside - another crap goal to give up," said centerback Derrick Williams. "And then, going forward, I don’t remember too many clear-cut chances that we had to get one back, which was disappointing as well. It was a tough day."
With an important 45 minutes plus on the line, Atlanta had to come out of the halftime break with a new sense of urgency. There was a momentary stop in the match as Stian Gregersen needed to get medical attention but was able to come back into the match in the 51st minute of the match. One of the newer faces on Atlanta, defender Pedro Amador, had a good scoring opportunity as he put a rocket of a shot just over the net.
The choppy style of the match continued into the second half. Both teams had set piece opportunities, as well as made their fair share of turnovers. In the 66th minute, Atlanta was able to exploit the right side of the pitch; Saba Lobjanidze was able to pick off Anunga and get the ball down the field but his rang off the goalpost.
In the 70th minute, Atlanta made a triple substitution – Jamal Thíare, Tristan Muyumba, and Dax McCarty in for Daniel Ríos, Bartosz Slisz, and Jay Fortune. Before coming to Atlanta, McCarty played for Nashville SC; this will be the last time playing against his old club as he recently announced he will be retiring after the 2024 season.
After a missed opportunity and an unfinished play by the 5-Stripes, Nashville’s strong transition game led to their second goal of the night. In the 76th minute, after Willis cleared an attempt by Atlanta, Walker Zimmerman got the ball down the field before Teal Bunbury flicked the ball to Mukhtar. The 2022 Golden Boot winner tucked the ball in to double Nashville’s lead.
After a collision with Sam Surridge, Amador had to be subbed out of the match for homegrown Noah Cobb in the 90th minute.
With nine extra minutes of stoppage time added, the 5-Stripes looked for some sort of spark but Gwinnett native Zimmerman blocked everything that came near the goalmouth. Atlanta fell to Nashville at home. Atlanta United now holds a record of 5-6-3 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium this season.
"We will change the little things, like the work rate and stuff like that, but we look to keep fighting, and I think that’s the biggest thing we were missing today, so once we have that, we’ll be in a better spot to perform on Wednesday," said homegrown Jay Fortune after the match.
Atlanta United | Nashville SC | |
|---|---|---|
Shots | 10 | 10 |
Shots on target | 5 | 3 |
Corner kicks | 6 | 2 |
Fouls committed | 12 | 11 |
xG | 0.6 | 2.0 |
Possession | 56% | 44% |
Passing accuracy | 87% | 82% |
UP NEXT - Miami Mayhem comes to town
Short-term memory will be key as Atlanta United faces a short turnaround before their next match. The 5-Stripes return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face off against first-place Intern Miami FC. This is the second time this season the 5-Stripes will be seeing the best team in MLS. The first matchup was a 3-1 victory for Atlanta at Chase Stadium.
