It was by no means pretty, but Atlanta United earned its first home win in MLS this season with a 1-0 victory over Colorado on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Julian Gressel’s first league goal this season, on an assist from Darlington Nagbe, proved the difference in front of an announced attendance of 43,005. With the win, Atlanta United improved to 1-1-2 at home and 2-3-2 overall.
Scoring a league-low five goals in its first six games, Atlanta United seemed to be facing the perfect opponent in Colorado, which had allowed a league-most 23 goals through eight games. That poor defense, combined with Atlanta United showing signs of life in its past 2-1/2 games, implied that the Five Stripes could be in for a breakout game.
TRENDING STORIES:
- Metro mother warns about pornographic material on popular video game
- Teachers donate 100 sick days to coworker whose child was diagnosed with cancer
- 1 dead, 3 injured after shooting at San Diego area synagogue
Instead, Atlanta United had only one shot in the game’s first 20 minutes, and it wasn’t on goal.
Atlanta United’s first shot on goal came in the 31st minute when Leandro Gonzalez Pirez tried his luck from more than 35 yards. Tim Howard saved the shot.
Part of Atlanta United’s difficulty was that when it had the ball, Colorado played five across the back with a block of four defenders just a few yards ahead. There was very little space in the middle of the pitch that Atlanta United could try to exploit.
The next shot on goal came in the 66th minute, again coming from Gonzalez Pirez and not from any of the team’s three Designated Players: Josef Martinez, Pity Martinez, who returned to the starting lineup, or Ezequiel Barco.
Manager Frank de Boer made a double sub in the 71st minute, with Eric Remedi coming on for Brek Shea and Hector Villalba for Pity Martinez.
Whatever the reason, Atlanta United scored three minutes later when Nagbe sliced through Colorado’s defense, reached the end line and put a cross to the near post that Gressel knocked in. It was Atlanta United’s third shot on goal.
Cox Media Group
