Yes, Josef Martinez is setting MLS on fire at present, rocketing up the goal-scoring lists and putting himself in the Golden Boot discussion. Back-to-back hat tricks will do that for you…
But the anticipation that Atlanta United fans have every time Martinez, Miguel Almiron, Yamil Asad, and Tito Villalba even just touch the ball in offensive transition has created special moments and a special atmosphere not once but twice in their first season.
Not many teams can say that.
The Second Home Continues To Be A Fortress…
Atlanta United got the chance to say that all over again in their last home match against LA Galaxy mid-week. Evidence below…
You’ve scored 17 goals in your time there- outscoring NFL teams in that same span, but there’s a lot of room to get better- and a short time to get there.
"“We can’t ever lose the hope to keep improving because there are always certain things to improve,” United head coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino admits. “It’s true that since we moved into this Mercedes-Benz Stadium that we’ve been playing well. We’ve been great (at) attacking. We’ve been able to control the ball and defensively, I think we’vebeen sound as well– aside from the game against Orlando where we gave up three goals.“But, we’re still not in the playoffs yet so we know we still have work to do and some things that we can still improve on.”"
Montreal comes to town on the strength of one of the more-shocking results this late in the 2017 season- needing a full-points result in the biggest, baddest way…
In Toronto… Against The Reds, You Say…???
Well, yes… with a qualifier…
The line-up TFC Head Coach Greg Vanney put out wasn’t exactly his normal Starting XI: No Jozy, no Gio, no Vazquez. And it showed as the Impact raced out to a 3-0 lead before hanging on for a 5-3 win at BMO Field…
Just don’t rely on Nacho Piatti’s backside to help out in the scoring for the second match in a row…
Mauro Biello’s Race…
It’s the same as Martino’s- just with a Red Line in the way…
The Impact, coming off a disappointing home stretch at Stade Saputo, are three points below the playoff picture and need a win badly. Atlanta United can make a mad dash for third in the East- possibly second if everything falls in their direction between now and a month from now:
"“As I always say, the most important thing is to qualify for the playoffs. But aside from that, our aspiration is to get as high as we can in the table,” Martino says. “And it’s true as you say, it would be very important for us to host a game here but nothing is more important than just qualifying. That’s the most important thing for us right now.”"
So, Don’t Expect A Whole Lot Of Change…
The Starting XI for Atlanta United should be what fans have seen for most of the season…
Something like this…
The team will be without Brandon Vazquez after his late red card challenge in the game against the Galaxy. But, the 18 shouldn’t be all that shaken.
The larger question comes from the Impact’s desire to get full points. Do they press more than Biello is used to and, possibly, open up the game more than their standard liking? If they do, they could open themselves up to the speed we’ve seen in Atlanta’s new home.
But, just how much of a home-field advantage is the new place…???
“I don’t have the answer but I think that since the first game here we have
felt well,” Martino says. “The team has been playing well but we also played well at Bobby
Dodd (Stadium). We’ve been able to turn both into a really strong home-field advantage for us. It is true, you’ve seen it here that we have played very well.”
It’s also a place they haven’t lost in their last ten matches in…
Home is where the points are…
HOW TO WATCH AND LISTEN
MATCH INFORMATION
Sunday, Sept. 24| Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia| 5 p.m. (EST)
Atlanta United (13-8-7, 46 points) vs. Montreal Impact (11-12-6, 39 points)
TV: FOX
Talent: JP Dellacamera (play-by-play), Brad Friedel (analyst) and Danielle Slaton (sideline reporter)
English Radio: WAOK 1380
Talent: Adam Schick (play-by-play) and Jason Longshore (commentator)
Spanish Radio: La Mejor 1600 AM
Talent: Armando Carillo (play-by-play) and Daniel Cantu (commentator)