Atlanta United Vs New England Revolution: 3 things to watch for – Come at the king
By Josh Bouland
Atlanta United host the New England Revolution this Saturday in the first round of the 2019 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. See what to watch.
Atlanta United are set to host the New England Revolution this Saturday, kicking off the first round of the 2019 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs. The Five Stripes are in the playoffs for the third consecutive year, including their title-winning run just last season. New England, meanwhile, are back in the playoffs for the first time since 2015, thanks to the midseason hiring of Bruce Arena.
This playoff match is a rematch of this year’s Decision Day match, in which Atlanta won by a decisive scoreline of 3-1. New England fared much better than the score indicates, but thanks to some woeful finishing, Atlanta had no problem defeating the Revolution. Saturday’s playoff match should be much different now that both teams have had two weeks to prepare and adjust to the prior result.
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See what to watch for ahead of this weekend’s first-round playoff match.
3. You come at the king, you best not miss
Carlos Vela may have broken Josef Martinez’s single-season goalscoring record, but Josef is still the king, at least in Atlanta. For New England to even have a chance of spoiling Atlanta’s MLS Cup defense, they need to stop and contain Martinez. If New England attempt to stop Martinez but fail to do so, Martinez will make them pay.
Josef Martinez carried Atlanta United through their worst part of the season. At this point, this is his team; not Frank de Boer’s, not Michael Parkhurst’s, not Brad Guzan’s. Stopping Martinez may be New England’s only shot at advancing. They can unhinge a sometimes vulnerable Atlanta defense, but if they give up a goal or two to Martinez, that might be game over. In fact, in games where Martinez has scored this season, Atlanta United are 12-6-2, good enough for a 60% winning percentage.
Martinez came through for Atlanta last postseason in some big moments. He scored twice during the return leg against NYCFC to ice a trip to the conference final, then broke open the scoring against the New York Red Bulls in the following series. He also scored the game-winning goal in MLS Cup final, bringing Atlanta its first piece of silverware for the newest team in the city.
In six playoff appearances, Martinez has four goals and one assist. With five total goal involvements across six games, he knows how to deliver when it matters most. New England, then, will have to hope they can contain him.