Charlotte came into the match with a record of 6-4-6 and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference standings. Atlanta (now 4-4-8 overall), though further down in the standings, brought momentum with them back to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday. A victory at Inter Miami on Wednesday was the team’s first victory on the road this season. It didn’t matter, as Charlotte managed to win in Atlanta again, this time 3-2 in front of 61,209 fans.
The loss was the team’s fifth consecutive at home. “We are playing good, but when you don’t score the goals in key moments you suffer,” Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda said after the match.
Something had to give
Atlanta went ahead 1-0 in the 35th minute following a strike from Thiago Almada. The shot came off a reflection of a Saba shot/pass and came straight down to Almada, who took it out of the air and put Almada earned a yellow card during the goal celebration for taking his jersey off. Prior to the goal, Atlanta had dominated the first half possession (at the half the possession rate was 57.6%-42.3% in favor of Atlanta). Something had to give.
Charlotte managed to tie the match at 1-1 on an own goal from Atlanta United defender Derrick Williams, who up until that point was playing what could be considered a perfect match, in the 40th minute.
Second half: Goals galore
The second half started slow until Charlotte took the lead at 2-1 following a goal from forward Liel Abada in the 56th minute. Pineda made three substitutions in the 62nd minute, including bringing striker Giorgos Giakoumakis into the fold. That didn’t help the team defensively as Abada scored another goal in the 68th minute to put Charlotte ahead 3-1. One of those Atlanta substitutions, Xande Silva, pulled Atlanta back within a goal on a strike in the 76th minute.
“I think we needed today’s three points, today’s victory was pivotal for the mentality of the team,” Pineda said.
An Aggressive Saba makes Atlanta a very dangerous side:
Before the first 10 minutes of the match had been played, Atlanta United midfielder Saba Lobjanidze took three shots-on-goal. Though all three, one directly in front of the Charlotte net, were misses, his aggression set the tone for the team during the first half. Atlanta United is a much better team with an aggressive Saba on the pitch. His two goals against Inter Miami last week are proof of that.
Two in a row in goal:
Atlanta United goalkeeper Josh Cohen earned a consecutive start on Sunday after helping the team to a road win at Inter Miami on Wednesday. Cohen had a season-high four saves and only surrendered a single goal to Lionel Messi during the 3-1 victory. Cohen made a number of big saves during the match, including in the first half on a diving save with his team ahead 1-0. On the own goal in the first half, Cohen believed he saved it from going in, but hadn’t had an opportunity to see the replay yet.
“I feel like I got my hand where the ball was on the line,” said Cohen in the locker room after the match.
What’s Next:
Following the international break, Atlanta United will host Houston on Saturday, June 15. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Following that match, Atlanta will play the consecutive road matches at D.C. and St. Louis on Wednesday, June 19 and Saturday, June 22. The last time Atlanta played D.C. they watched D.C. United and former Premier League striker Christian Benteke scored three goals during a 3-2 victory for D.C.
Asked if he thinks just winning a couple of matches could change the aura around the team right now, Pineda said he agreed. “I think the team played to win, the effort, the chances, the energy that they put in to winning,” said Pineda.
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