After picking up its first road victory of 2022, Atlanta United makes the short trip to Charlotte, N.C. looking for another three road points on Sunday afternoon. It marks the second and final meeting of the season between the two southern rivals. Atlanta picked up all three points at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on March 13 in dramatic fashion when Jake Mulraney scored deep into stoppage time for the 2-1 win. The 5-Stripes come into this match tied for second in the Eastern Conference standings (3-1-1; 10 points) while Charlotte FC sits in a tie for eighth place (2-4-0; 6 points). Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by The Home Depot against Charlotte FC.
Next Man Up Mentality
One of the things that head coach Gonzalo Pineda has emphasized throughout preseason and in the early parts of 2022 is the depth of his team. He has not been afraid to play anyone who is on the Matchday roster. Through five matches, Atlanta has featured 22 different players, the second-most in MLS in the early stages of the campaign. That quality in depth will be tested over the next few weeks after Ozzie Alonso (torn ACL) and Matheus Rossetto (hamstring) suffered injuries that will keep them out. Santiago Sosa and Franco Ibarra came on in midfield and showed their qualities in the 1-0 victory at D.C. United. Sosa is in his second season in Atlanta and played over 2,000 minutes last year, while Ibarra featured in 16 matches a year ago.
Offensively, Atlanta United has already seen eight different players bulge the old onion bag through five matches. The club also scored in second half stoppage time in three consecutive matches, the longest such stretch in club history. They will look to find the back of the net again on Sunday in Charlotte.
Contain Swiderski and limit Bender and Ortiz’s key passes
In this expansion season for Charlotte FC, the club has seemingly found its main attacking option in Karol Swiderski. The Polish international has scored four goals in five matches. Atlanta’s defense will need to be aware of Swiderski at all times, as the striker has scored two goals inside the box and two goals outside the box. Many of his chances are being created by two midfielders. Ben Bender, the top pick in this past MLS SuperDraft, leads the team with eight key passes, while DP signing Christian Ortiz ranks second on the squad with seven chances created. In order for Atlanta United to pick up three points this weekend, Atlanta’s midfield has to control the tempo and the ball to limit Charlotte’s attack.
Take advantage of Transition Moments
The first matchup between Atlanta and Charlotte featured some wide open play with 15 combined shots on target. This Sunday, Atlanta will need to take advantage of those transition moments when they arrive. They lead MLS in total fast breaks according to Opta and will look to be a little more clinical in those final moments of the break. One of the ways they will look to attack is overlapping the full backs, Andrew Gutman or Brooks Lennon last time out. Especially Lennon, who ranks seventh in MLS with 14 created chances, has been a key player for Atlanta United in these last couple of games
Fans can tune in nationally on Sunday afternoon with kickoff set for 1:30pm ET. Click here to learn all the ways to watch, listen and live stream the match.
