It’s no secret that Atlanta United has been a nearly unstoppable force at home since moving into Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with only one regular season loss thus far (2017 & 2018) and a +14 goal differential in this season alone. Sitting second in the league in scoring last year and leading this year through nine matches so far, their high-flying offense has caught plenty of headlines. But there is a growing defensive solidity for this team, a crucial part of their success on the road that has helped them go eight matches unbeaten.
“There are no easy games in MLS,” said captain Michael Parkhurst after their latest road win Saturday. “It's a fight, it's a grind every week, and you have to bring it. It wasn't our best performance, but we hung tight and we got some good goals and we hung on the at the end and dug in and did what we needed to do to get the result.”
It’s an honest assessment from the veteran defender, who knows the team is capable of dominating games more than they did Saturday. But winning games when not playing your absolute best is often the difference between good teams and great ones.
"We want to be a consistent team,” head coach Tata Martino told reporters through a translator. “We know in this league there are going to be games where we have to suffer, and tonight it was difficult in the second half. They put in a lot of balls into the box that we had to defend. We know we have a lot more to go."
Atlanta United’s defense is tied for third in the league in goals allowed. That growing resiliency has come in a time of changes in the back line, but the team’s next-man-up mentality has shone through. When Leandro González Pirez, Franco Escobar or Greg Garza missed time, Chris McCann and Miles Robinson and Mikey Ambrose were ready. With McCann sidelined with a tight hamstring Saturday, Escobar was ready to step up for the team when needed.
"I thought [Franco] was very good,” Parkhurst said. “He made a lot of good defensive plays, one-on-one, calm in the air, in the box, a very good defensive performance.”
"It is what we always talked about, more time together as a team, overall improvement among the team, reinforcements on the roster,” Martino said. “We have more depth this year, and I think all that combined is what has been different for us.”
But more than personnel, it’s a mentality that the team has to bring the same level of intensity each match and do whatever it takes for the three points, even with a target on their backs as the Supporters’ Shield leaders.
“We know that teams are going to play well against us, they're going to bring their best, and Chicago was good tonight,” Parkhurst said. “We talk about focusing on the game at hand. There are no easy games in MLS, and we do not overlook anybody. We said there were no excuses tonight, let's go out there and win. And we did that."
Atlanta United’s run isn’t getting any easier, as they prepare for a midweek match against Western Conference leaders Sporting Kansas City at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday. Make sure you’re there to help cheer the team on as they try to extend their unbeaten run and increase their lead at the top of the table by reserving your tickets here.
