The two newest expansion sides in Major League Soccer experienced defeat in their respective debuts. This week, at least one team is guaranteed to earn their first points as Minnesota United FC hosts Atlanta United FC in Week 2. What will happen in this battle of the newbies and where can you watch the game this Sunday?
Last week’s opening weekend for Major League Soccer was exciting for every team, but perhaps none were more excited that the two newest teams in the league: Minnesota United FC and Atlanta United FC.
In Week 1, Minnesota kicked off the weekend suffering a demoralizing 5-1 defeat at the hands of the Portland Timbers.
Atlanta took the early lead in their matchup against the New York Red Bulls only to see the victory swing the other way in the final minutes as two late goals led to the 2-1 defeat.
When these two teams meet each other this week, both in search of a bounce back, here is what you can expect to watch go down:
Minnesota United FC
Adrian Heath must have recognized the spark in his team last week once Christian Ramirez came on the pitch. He should no doubt think long and hard about including him in the starting XI.
The biggest liability for Minnesota is their defense, which struggled against Portland, and now faces one of the fastest, and most attack-minded offenses in the league. Minnesota will want to score goals and do so quickly to stay ahead of the matchup.
One issue for both teams headed into the match is chemistry amongst the players. This is an issue for all expansion teams but in this instance, Minnesota has an advantage of Atlanta thanks to several of their players having more history together from the team’s NASL days.
Atlanta United FC
Atlanta United hoped to make a big splash by defeating last year’s Eastern Conference leaders last week. While they dominated the stat sheet, and much of the game, they saw their hopes crushed late as a result of their inexperience.
This team was built in many ways very differently that their fellow expansion brethren up north. They brought in young, high-dollar designated players, world-renowned leadership, and even managing a little green card voodoo to address their international player issues.
If Atlanta wants the win this week, they will need to focus on finishing their offensive attacks. Last week the Five Stripes took 14 shots but only managed to get 4 of them on target. This has to improve if they hope to score goals and win games.
Prediction:
If this game were going to be played in Atlanta, or on a neutral site, or even on a warmer day in Minneapolis, I would like the chances of Atlanta’s attack knocking in several goals for a sound defeat of the Loons.
But that is not the case. Instead, the high temperature for Sunday is 28 degrees and there is snow in the forecast.
Next: MLS Power Rankings: Week 1
So when the teams kick off the orange ball on Sunday, I expect the action to be much slower paced that Tata Martino would prefer for his side. Regardless, I think they manage to put one in, and I believe that will be enough.
How to Watch:
Match day: Sunday, March 12, 2017 – 5:00pm on ESPN2