Atlanta United Vs Club America: 3 things we learned – A lasting mistake

On Wednesday night, Atlanta United took on Liga MX giant Club America at Estadio Azteca in the first leg of the CCL quarter-final. Here are three things we learned from the 3-0 defeat.

Atlanta United fans may be experiencing deja vu after Wednesday night’s result against Club America. In the 2019 edition of the CONCACAF Champions League, Atlanta traveled down to Mexico for the first leg of the tournament quarter-final against Monterrey. At the time, Monterrey were dominating Liga MX. Atlanta made the trip south, only to return home with a 3-0 deficit. Fast forward to today and you can see a near-identical situation.

America scored early and often, beginning with Leonardo Suarez’s golazo in the 11th minute from outside the box. Just two minutes later, America shredded Atlanta’s defense and Henry Martin capitalized to make it 2-0. Even after Atlanta began to settle into the game defensively, America scored a third thanks to a Bruno Valdez header in the 36th minute.

After mistakenly setting up the team to play defensively in the first half, Frank de Boer and his staff made serious adjustments during half-time. Those adjustments allowed Atlanta to outshoot America 11-7 in the second half and outpossess America as well. But no away goal was forthcoming and it leaves a three-goal deficit that might well be insurmountable.

Here are three things learned from Wednesday night’s 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Club America.

3. De Boer got it wrong

Frank de Boer’s tactics for the first leg against Club America were very obvious. Immediately, Atlanta started in an uber-defensive 5-3-2, with Gonzalez ‘Pity’ Martinez and Ezequiel Barco as the two center-forwards. With such a defensive formation, it seemed de Boer was intent on escaping Estadio Azteca with minimal damage. America punished Atlanta for sitting back, a style that does not play to the team’s strengths.

De Boer and his staff made important changes at half-time, both in personnel and tactics. Matheus Rossetto subbed on for Eric Remedi and the team morphed their tactics into a more attacking approach. As soon as the ball kicked off for the second half, Atlanta began pressed forward. And within the first ten minutes of the second half, Atlanta produced four shots, two on target.

Although an injury forced Rossetto off (more on that later), Atlanta continued to play well because of de Boer’s remaining two subs. Instead of going back to a defensive approach, de Boer gave Manuel Castro his first Atlanta United appearance in place of Rossetto. A few minutes later de, Boer subbed on striker Adam Jahn in place of wing-back Jake Mulraney.

Atlanta regained some of its mojo when it returned to a 3-4-2-1, but it was too late and the players were unable to capitalize on some high-percentage attacking opportunities. Nevertheless, the changes de Boer made proved that he got it wrong in the first half. And that will ostensibly cost his team dear.