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Atlanta vs. NY Red Bulls: Three Key Takeaways

By Daniel Garza

Mar 5, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Royer (77) heads the ball against the Atlanta United in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. The Red Bulls won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 5, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; New York Red Bulls midfielder Daniel Royer (77) heads the ball against the Atlanta United in the second half at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Historic Grant Field. The Red Bulls won 2-1. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Red Bulls spoiled Atlanta United’s first match in Major League Soccer with a late goal in the 82nd minute.

It was a spectacular scene on Sunday night as Atlanta United started their tenure in the MLS in front of a home crowd of 55,000 fans. The match itself didn’t disappoint either, there were goals, fantastic saves and energy throughout the match.

Atlanta opened the scoring in the 25th minute as Yamil Asad scored the club’s first MLS goal. The midfielder turned home a Tyrone Mears cross from close range.

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After holding off the Red Bull attack for most of the match, the last 15 minutes of the match proved to be costly. The away side equalised in the 76th minute, Daniel Royer headed home a Sacha Kljestan corner to successful convert the set piece. Just six minutes later, it would be 2-1 as Anton Walkes deflected a cross into his own net.

The home side ended the match with ten men, Carlos Carmona was sent off in the 88th minute, as it finished 2-1 at Bobby Dodd Stadium.

Here are three takeaways from tonight’s match:

#1 Atlanta defensive problems and discipline

After playing a solid 75 minutes, the Atlanta defense faltered in the final 15 minutes of the match. They were no match for the efficient passing of the Red Bulls and were left exposed. A set piece goal and own goal were their undoing, Rookie Julian Gressel got an unexpected start and lost his man Royer on the corner that leveled the match. It may seem a little harsh for too much criticism at the moment, as this unit is fairly new in terms of playing with each other, thus it will be interesting to see how they perform in the coming weeks.

On another note, the red card to Carmona late in the match was unacceptable. He received it after play was blown dead, and all-in-all it was a needless and avoidable red card, a team can’t expect to win or draw matches with those types of decisions late in matches.

#2 Robles saves the day

Luis Robles was the man of the match for the Red Bulls. He made a couple of key saves that kept his side in contention for a comeback. Right before halftime he made a wonderful save with his right hand to deny Josef Martinez. The veteran will once again be a key component of this team.

Next: Winningest MLS Franchises in League History

 #3 Red Bulls win on the road

After showing poor away form last season, the Red Bulls needed a win like this to start off 2017. They won in what will probably be one of the toughest places for teams to play in this season. Additionally, this was an impressive result considering they were defeated on Thursday in the CONCACAF Champions League, and had to refocus and recover quickly for this match. Good clubs grind out results and that’s exactly what the Red Bulls did tonight.

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