Atlanta United bounces back to clinch MLS playoff berth in style
Atlanta United's lowest point this season came in the Leagues Cup in July, when Lionel Messi's Inter Miami destroyed it, 4-0. Atlanta didn't look bad, per se, but it was shaky, and it simply couldn't get going against a team full of positive momentum.
"The key moments of the game are the first two goals for me," Atlanta coach Gonzalo Pineda said after the match. "Little mistakes that you can't allow a player like Lionel Messi."
What a difference a few weeks makes. When Miami went to Atlanta's (literal) turf for a rematch last weekend, the shakiness was gone and the momentum was all in Atlanta's favor. It won, 5-2, capping a remarkable turnaround and pushing the team to a new season high.
But Atlanta wasn't done. Knowing the playoffs were on the line in the tight Eastern Conference, it kept that energy going, drawing 1-1 with DC United before hammering Montréal CF on Saturday, 4-1.
The massive victory against Montréal confirms Atlanta's playoff spot and pushes it within two points of a top-two seed.
Atlanta's secret is its attacking prowess, something coach Pineda calls "chemistry in the final third."
The team's attacking wingers — Colombian Edwin Mosquera, Portuguese Xande Silva, Georgian Saba Lobzhanidze and American Tyler Wolff — are some of the best and most competitive in MLS. They're fighting one another for their places in the squad, but they're refreshingly team-focused, always willing to pass the ball for a perfect assist even if it means giving up a potential goal of their own.
"Competition has made all of them better," Pineda said after the match. "It feels like they are competing against each other as well on who is more productive, but at the same time, they are unselfish and trying to make the team successful. I'm very pleased with all of my wingers."
With strikers Thiago Almada and Giorgios Giakoumakis stealing most of the headlines for Atlanta, those four wingers have become something of a secret weapon for Pineda. Opposing teams line up prepared to nullify Almada and Giakoumakis's attacking threat, but they're rarely prepared for the speed and precision of their teammates.
Atlanta is now focused on closing out the season strongly. Doing so will guarantee the best possible path through the playoffs for the Five Stripes and give the team homefield advantage in crucial playoff games.
Atlanta's simple, attack-focused mode — don't be selfish, push each other to improve and never settle for a 2-1 win when a 3-1 or 4-1 is on offer — should help it get there.
For Atlanta, a rare MLS team attracting fans from all over the country, making the playoffs once again is a sign that traditional models are shifting within the league. It's also a sign that the balance of power in MLS is moving south. The U.S. Soccer Federation recently moved its headquarters from Chicago to Atlanta to reflect this change, and the unbridled success of MLS in Miami, Orlando and Charlotte proves there's plenty of room to grow in a region that soccer fans used to ignore.
Atlanta will be back in action in two week against the Philadelphia Union, with games against Columbus and Cincinnati on deck to wrap up its regular season. Philadelphia, Columbus and Cincy are all in the top five of the East. They'll give Atlanta a chance to prove just how far its attacking chemistry has come in 2023.
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