Sports

Atlanta United not taking match against Minnesota United for granted

By Wilton Jackson

The Atlanta United starting eleven get together in a huddle prior to the start of the match between Vancouver and Atlanta United on March 17, 2018 at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. 

By Wilton Jackson

ATLANTA — Atlanta United is very much aware of the level of success it experienced a year ago when playing Minnesota United on the road during its inaugural season.

After losing their first game last year, the Five Stripes traveled nearly 17 and half hours to the Twin Cities for a match against the Loons on a field filled with lots of snow and frigid temperatures, looking to earn its first-ever win in Major League Soccer.

Not only did Atlanta United (2-1-0) earn the victory, the Five Stripes did so in commanding fashion, defeating the Loons 6-1 in a game where, by halftime, the two teams had to use an orange ball due to the heavy amounts of snow that had fallen on the field.

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In that victory, Minnesota struggled to get an offensive rhythm and everything clicked in favor of Atlanta United. Five Stripes forward Josef Martinez and midfielder Miguel Almirón led the way for Atlanta United offensively, with Martinez scoring three goals and Almirón scoring two respectively.

In what was considered the coldest game in MLS history by the Associated Press with a kickoff temperature of 20 degrees, much will not be different on Saturday when the Five Stripes make another trip to the Gopher State to take on the Loons.

There is slight chance for snow in the forecast, but temperatures at the start of the game will be around 14 degrees. Not to mention, Minnesota United is a much better team than it was a year ago, something the Five Stripes are not taking for granted.

AU midfielder Chris McCann said last year’s dominant performance was impressive, but it does not matter when it comes to Saturday’s match.

"It was a fantastic performance, but that's in the past now,' McCann said in article on the team website. "It's another chapter, it's not going to be easy as last year. They improved massively as a squad and they've brought in some good players. So, it's going to be a tough game, but we're looking forward to it."

Minnesota United (2-2-0) is coming off a 3-0 loss on the road to the New York Red Bulls after winning two-straight games against Orlando City SC and Chicago Fire. In the loss against the Red Bulls, the Loons were without five starters who are key to their success as a team.

Currently, the Loons sit fourth in the MLS Western Conference but only one point off first place.

While it will be cold again for the match on Saturday, McCann said team must come out and do its job to get the victory.

"We want to go up there and put on a good performance," McCann said. "It'd be nice to score six again but I doubt it will be that east this time. We're expecting a tough game, I'm sure they'll give it to us. But, we've got two wins in a row now, we're confident and hopefully we can go up there and take three points."

The two teams played to a draw in this year’s preseason, while Minnesota defeated Atlanta United at home in October 2017 matchup.

The Loons will look to bounce back from last week’s loss and get revenge against the Five Stripes from last year’s early-season home loss. As for Atlanta United, the Five Stripes hope to extend its winning streak to three in another cold match in Minnesota.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

Cox Media Group

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