Atlanta United: Analyzing their seven losses from the 2018 season
By Josh Bouland
September 30 @ New York Red Bulls
This was the game of the season. A late match in the season between the two frontrunners for the Supporters Shield meant a de facto regular season championship game. Atlanta failed to show up, and Red Bulls pressed the Five Stripes off the field on their way to a 2-0 victory. Red Bulls pulled to within one point of Atlanta for the race in the Supporters Shield as a result.
How New York Red Bulls Won: Red Bulls pressed Atlanta, and they pressed Atlanta high. Red Bulls pressed nonstop, forcing Atlanta into uncomfortable passes and creating many opportunities to score. The score line only read 2-0 but it should have been much worse. Daniel Royer converted a penalty in the 39th minute to go up 1-0 while Tim Parker scored the second goal in the 74th minute to put the game away.
What went wrong: Atlanta looked incredibly unprepared for New York’s game plan. Brad Guzan was uncomfortable with passing out of the back and Atlanta’s defenders looked uncomfortable when trying to pass through New York’s press. None of Atlanta’s attackers could beat the press either, and as a result Atlanta failed to score. It was only Atlanta’s third shutout of the season.
The bright spot: Brad Guzan saved a Red Bulls penalty, his first penalty save with Atlanta United. That’s it. There were no other bright spots.
The takeaway: Atlanta blew the opportunity to pull away from New York in the race for the Supporters Shield. If Atlanta had won, they would’ve pulled seven points ahead and virtually won the Shield on the spot. Even a draw would’ve helped the Five Stripes. Instead, New York stayed one point behind Atlanta for the remainder of the season until passing the Five Stripes on Decision Day for the Shield.