Written by Brian Pohl
Atlanta, GA- 2018 MLS Cup champion Atlanta United returned home to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the first time for their 2019 home opener in front of 70,382 fans in a 1-1 draw with FC Cincinnati.
It was a disappointing result for the defending champs, who have continued to struggle offensively early on under new head coach Frank De Boer.
Things looked promising early, however, for the Five Stripes as they got on the board with a goal in just the fifth minute of play. Midfielder Julian Gressel, who returned to the starting lineup after missing the previous game due to an ankle injury, delivered the assist on a through ball down the right side to a streaking Josef Martinez. 2018’s MLS MVP finished the play by rocketing the ball past the goalkeeper in the top left corner of the net to give Atlanta the 1-0 advantage.
From this point, the offense really stalled for both sides, and although the Five Stripes held a 66.5% advantage in possession, they were unable to create many opportunities with only four shots on target in the match.
Coach De Boer talked about the lack of chances saying, “They [Cincinnati’s defense] were quite organized so it’s difficult to create chances.” He continued, “I think then we have to recognize and play a little bit different of a style and you have to have runners at that moment [of attack].”
De Boer also mentioned that in the second half he thought his team did much better at using adjusting, but the results just didn’t materialize this time.
The Atlanta lead would last until the 86th minute, where FC Cincinnati finally found its opportunity to equalize. Off of a counter play, Cincinnati caught the Atlanta defense flat-footed in transition, and Kenny Saief found Roland Lamah open to deliver the goal and silence the Atlanta United supporters in the final minutes of the match.
Taking the Man of the Match Award was Julian Gressel of Atlanta United, who delivered the assist to Josef Martinez in his return from injury. The German is in his third season with Atlanta and has been a great part of the team’s rapid success despite the end result today.
Although it wasn’t a loss, the result was just as disappointing for Atlanta whose record now sits at 0-1-1 to begin the 2019 season in 9th place of the Eastern Conference. It is still too early for fans to press the panic button as coach De Boer continues to implement his new system into the team, but the boos could be heard after the final whistle blew.
Coach De Boer was asked if he has thought about changing away from the 3-4-3 system that he has implemented this season saying, “Oh, of course, you are going to think about it, but you also have to think ‘what do I have right now?’ and is it the right way to do [win].” He continued, “we have to think about it and we do that as a staff and decide what is best for this team.”
The Five Stripes have to quickly shake off this result and turn right around to compete in the CONCACAF Champions League, as they will take on Monterrey in the second leg from Mercedes-Benz Stadium Wednesday, March 13, at 9:00 p.m.
