Atlanta United Vs FC Dallas: 5 things we learned – Missing identity
By Josh Bouland
Atlanta United fell 2-1 to FC Dallas on Saturday afternoon in another disappointing and uncharacteristic performance by the home team. See what we learned.
Atlanta United suffered yet another loss this season with their record now 1-3-2. On Saturday, the Five Stripes lost 2-1 to FC Dallas in an uncharacteristic performance punctuated with bad defending, lack of chemistry, and poor finishing.
Dallas scored in the sixth minute on a counter-attack. Their second goal also came on a counter-attack in the 84th minute. The home team had their fair share of chances to score but couldn’t find a goal until the 97th minute, when Josef Martinez converted from the spot after a Dallas defender fouled Brek Shea in the box.
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Earlier in the match, Ezequiel Barco hit the crossbar on a freekick and almost found the back of the net on two other set-piece opportunities. Martinez also put a shot on goal following a corner kick, only for Dallas goalkeeper Jose Luiz Gonzalez to make a fantastic save. Martinez found himself in a one-on-one situation with Gonzalez in the box but put his shot wide.
See what we learned from Saturday’s loss.
5. What’s wrong with this team?
Atlanta United are not looking like the team that took the league by storm in 2017 and 2018. The team is lacking chemistry, and it was very apparent on Saturday afternoon. There were multiple occasions where attackers passed the ball forward with no teammate running onto the ball; there were other situations where the defense collapsed out of confusion.
The team had their moments of brilliance. At multiple points in the game, the Five Stripes had opportunities to equalize but the finishing just wasn’t there or Jose Luiz Gonzalez stood on his head to keep Atlanta from scoring.
Yet there were many times when teammates didn’t appear to be on the same page. It was a disappointing look for a team that seemed to make big strides in their 2-0 win over New England just a week before. In order to return to their championship form from a year ago, the team must find some cohesion.