Atlanta United Vs New York City FC: 3 things we learned – History made

2. Progress continues

Atlanta United have fought through a few rough patches this season. Most notably, the team survived a four-game opening stretch without a win, a series of interviews from its top players in which those players called out Frank de Boer, and plenty of injuries and transfer rumors along the way.

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Sunday showed that the team might just be turning a corner. Although the scoreline was only 2-1, it very well could have been 7-1. Atlanta created many chances throughout the match and their familiar attacking style from seasons’ past showed itself again. The same can be said for their previous league match against LA Galaxy.

De Boer has already said he has no defined philosophy for how the team is trying to play, but an identity is clearly forming. Gone is the monotonous backline passing and methodical build-up. Atlanta’s high-flying attack is back, at least from the look of the last few matches. It seems de Boer has finally loosened the reigns on his players, although I expect some of his defensive coaching to survive.

Another big reason for this progress is a formational shift to the 3-5-2:

If Atlanta continues to attack the way it did against NYCFC, the league should be on notice.