Atlanta United Express Lane: The Portland Draw In 10 Items Or Less

A quick way to figure out the right and the wrong of the last game of the road trip from hell…

Well then…

It was another tough road environment for Atlanta United as the Mother of All Roadies (six road matches in their last seven) was finally put to bed. With a 1-1 draw, the Five Stripes put some more information on the table for you to consume going forward.

Who exactly were these patient people who were seen on the pitch?

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The possession numbers were in favor of Atlanta United by a 70-30 margin. The third largest margin of the season. The team built from the back and worked forward.

Who knew? It wasn’t the lickety-split, run like hell from Point-A-to-Point B, bunch we have seen a lot this season, but they worked and worked out well.

Also, the completion percentage was 82-65 in favor of Atlanta on twice as many passes (564- 238) averaging 5-for-8 in the final third.

So, Tata Martino found a combination of folks that can work backwards to go fully forward.

Julian Gressel works on the outside… 

After being in the middle earlier in the season, necessity put Gressel outside instead in the Portland match. The goal created an opportunity for him to overlap and duck in behind for the first MLS goal of his career.

Remember that one, it will come in handy in September and in Open Cup play. The depth of the roster is showing, but when Josef Martinez returns to the line-up, Gressel and Kenwyne Jones might be odd men out. It’s not a bad thing for that to happen, it’s just a “thing.”

Alec Kann will make Brad Guzan’s Atlanta United time very interesting…

As you saw, faithful reader, the Middlesbrough fans want nothing to do with Guzan anymore after two nutmegs in a 3-0 loss to Chelsea. Although, when the guy keeping your seat warm is doing things like this, Summer Camp will be interesting between the sticks,

Once more, this is not to create a goalie controversy, but the guy in net now is doing okay, thank you very much. His distribution is improving, and Guzan will have to be his most non-Boro self to get a job everyone one thought was his by default.

Thats not really the case anymore, and with Kyle Reynish and Alex Tambakis behind Kann, United have a logjam and an embarrassment of ‘keeping riches going forward.

MLS officiating needs to figure out their own house… Quickly…

When Fanendo Adi can almost run a George Gervin teardrop into the net, the Timbers defense can have a hand ball without a call, and Liam Ridgewell channeled either Bob Backlund or Dolph Ziggler, that is NOT a good thing…

Here’s what we mean,

And here’s what it looked like to some…

Don’t misunderstand, there were calls on both teams that were either extreme, unneccessary, or ignored.

Please, come up with a consistent standard. Then, maybe, we can have a guideline for looking at what we’re looking at on any given week.

Concussion Protocol needs a SERIOUS look-see…

And you know what incident we’re talking about here,

Here’s the deal, MLS needs an impartial arbiter in the physio slot at ALL matches to address these instances going forward. Everyone knows full well that in a situation like Asad’s ,Portland’s home-team physio is going to say one thing and the Atlanta United coaching staff are going to say another for competitive advantage.

We ALL know this happens, and not just on the professional level.

What also needs to happen is a free sub during analysis before this impartial physio comes down with a verdict. If the verdict is for removal, then AND ONLY THEN, would the substitution apply on the books.

If people care as much as they say about player health and the growing concussion issue, then get it right. This is an issue that can’t be ignored, taken advantage of athletically, and can’t be brushed aside, either, as fake or folly.

Okay, Atlanta United fan, what say you about the hard-earned point in Portland and what we learned heading home to face Houston?

Let us know in the comments  section below…

Atlanta United Give Gut Check Performance In Portland Draw

The Five Stripes close out the longest road trip of the season with a "gut check" performance on the road against Portland.