Atlanta United Vs New England Revolution: 3 things to watch for – Come at the king
By Josh Bouland
2. Scoring early and often
When these teams met on Decision Day, the scoring was early and often. Atlanta United scored in the third minute thanks to Darlington Nagbe, while New England equalized just five minutes later thanks to some shoddy Atlanta defending and a Christian Penilla finish. Here, then, both teams must score quickly and often if they want a high chance of advancing to the next round since both defenses are questionable.
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New England conceded 57 goals this season, the second-worst tally of any playoff team. They are strong in attack, but their defense has faltered more than a few times this season. If Atlanta exploit the Revolution defense early, this game may be over before it ever really gets going. The Five Stripes will need that cushion, too. They will be without Miles Robinson, who picked up a hamstring injury with the US Men’s National Team — New England gave Atlanta’s backline plenty of problems on Decision Day, and that was with Robinson holding things down.
After finding a few ways to exploit Atlanta’s defense, look for the Revolution’s potent front three to attack early and work to disorient Atlanta’s backline. The only thing that stopped New England on Decision Day was their poor finishing. If Atlanta are smart, they should expect New England to not miss their chances the second time around.
Although this rematch is a playoff match, expect this game to be a wide-open affair. With both teams relying heavily on their attack to cover for their usually weak defense, there should be plenty of chances created between either side on Saturday. Who capitalizes early will hold the upper hand.