Atlanta United: Another run at Champions League glory
By Drew Hubbard
By winning the 2019 U.S. Open Cup, Atlanta United opened up another door to become the first MLS team to win CONCACAF Champions League.
Atlanta United took home their first Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup by defeating fellow 2017 expansion side Minnesota United 2-1 in front of a record-breaking crowd in Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The championship continues an incredible run of form with seven wins in a row including a Campeones Cup victory over Club America. As well as taking up another spot in the trophy case, the Open Cup victory clinches a spot in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League for the Five Stripes.
Atlanta’s last and only attempt at Champions League fell to the hands of Mexican giant Monterrey with a 3-1 aggregate score. Falling 3-0 in Mexico and winning 1-0 in Atlanta.
The Champions League run was filled with excitement, fans down South were convinced that the side had what it takes to become the first MLS side to achieve North American glory, but the team fell victim to growing pains.
New manager Frank de Boer figuring out his new side, along with a new star Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez learning his teammates, all the while competing against the best teams in North America, was more than the 2018 MLS Champions could handle.
The short run was joined by a rough stretch of MLS regular-season games. Going four straight without a win rose questions around the 2019 campaign. As the season went on, however, the ‘old’ Atlanta United returned, evidence of that being a new trophy for the young franchise. And maybe more importantly, another shot at MLS folklore.
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The money spent by Atlanta sends the message that their goal is to be the best not only in MLS, but throughout the CONCACAF region, But in order to be the best, you first have to earn the opportunity to show that you’re the best. Winning the U.S. Open Cup opened up another door for the Five Stripes to take home Champions League glory. However this time around, the growing pains of last time out will be nonexistent.
De Boer will be in his second season of coaching, his system both better adapted to the players and better understood by the players, Martinez will be more acclimated with his new teammates, as his recent excellent form has shown, and the experience of the Monterrey defeat, while painful, will be invaluable in a second run. Having a group of players with that much talent having spent a season together with a manager makes for a good recipe for continental success.
Next. Atlanta United Vs Minnesota United: 3 things we learned. dark
Assuming that there will be no key departures like Miguel Almiron and Tata Martino in the past, this Atlanta United team will be in full force to make another run at CONCACAF glory. And this time, may very well achieve it.