Written by Derek Robbie Atlanta United continued their scorching hot home form to ten games unbeaten against the struggling LA Galaxy. The final score of the match was 4-0 in favor of “The Five Stripes”. The first five minutes of the match was open with both teams creating a few half chances and enjoying even possession In the 13th minute, Atlanta’s winger, Yamil Asad glided past marker then whipped a cross into the 6-yard box where Josef Martínez was there to pass the ball into the net to take a 1-0 lead. Atlanta’s goal came from a counter attack that started in their own defensive third and ended with Martínez. In the 16th minute Atlanta United scored again making it 2-0. The second goal came from the Argentinian winger Yamil Asad when a rebound from his teammate Miguel Almirón’s shot fell to him. In the 20th minute, Atlanta United and Yamil Asad found the back of the net again with a tap in to take a 3-0 lead. Asad’s second goal was Atlanta’s third goal in seven minutes. In the first 25 minutes of the match Atlanta United look a class apart from the Los Angeles Galaxy. The three devastatingly quick Atlanta United goals left the Galaxy looking utterly shell shocked. The first real chance for the Galaxy fell to the Mexican international, Gio dos Santos in the 32nd minute took a snap shot from just inside the 18-yard box that went just wide of the post. The chance came from a long winding run into the box from French winger, Romain Alessandrini. The ball then fell to Gio dos Santos. In the 38th minute there was a bit of controversy in the match when the referee went to Video Assistant Replay, or VAR, to judge whether LA’s Jermaine Jones deserved a red card. The verdict was that Jones deserved the red for kicking is leg out at an opposing player. Atlanta’s dynamic Miguel Almirón in the 40th minute received a through ball from Asad, and perfectly chipped the ball over the Galaxy keeper, Jon Kempin to take the 4-0 lead. Atlanta instantly capitalized on their man advantage. The first half was a story of Atlanta United high-pressing the Galaxy, which turned into opportunities on the counter-attack. Atlanta capitalized on most of those opportunities since they ended the half with a 4-0 lead. The second half started similar to how the first ended, Atlanta was in complete control. Atlanta United started to look like they were playing keep away from Los Angeles by stringing over 15 passes together without the Galaxy even touching the ball. Through the first 10 minutes of the second half saw the Galaxy struggle to string together five passes in a row. It was evident that LA was down a man and they struggled to compete. In the 58th minute, Atlanta earned a free kick in which Martínez took it, but the shot went well over the goal. By this point in the match Atlanta United seemed content with keeping possession and retaining control of the game instead of putting their collective foot on the gas and trying to create more chances. Atlanta’s next chance came in the 73rd minute with a low hard corner coming into the Galaxy 6-yard box where Hector Villalba was there to take the half volley but it went wide of the goal. In the 81st minute Atlanta substitute Brandon Vazquez was subject of another controversial red card. He was pressing the Galaxy man, Michael Ciani, and Ciani cleared the ball and hit Vazquez on his follow through. The referee initially gave Vazquez a straight red card, but he eventually took the time to consult the VAR system. After going to VAR the referee still gave the red card. Winning this match sees Atlanta United extend their unbeaten streak to five games and ten at home. Their next match is against the Montreal Impact on Sunday, September 24th at 5:00 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This match also sees the Galaxy continue their struggles they have been plagued with this season. LA’s next match is against Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, September 24th at 2:00 p.m. ET at Children’s Mercy Park. When asked on whether his team is in playoff form or if they can improve Atlanta head Coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino had this to say, “We can’t ever lose the hope to keep improving because there are always certain things to improve. It’s true that since we moved to Mercedes-Benz Stadium that we’ve been playing well… But, we’re still not in the playoffs yet so we know we still have work to do and some things that we can still improve on.” With that being said it will be interesting going forward if Atlanta United can continue to improve while on this run. Atlanta United starting XI: [G] Brad Guzan; [D] Chris McCann, Leandro González Pirez, Michael Parkhurst, Anton Walkes; [M] Carlos Carmona, Jeff Larentowicz, Yamil Asad, Miguel Almirón, Hector Villalba; [F] Josef Martínez Los Angeles Galaxy starting XI: [G] Jon Kempin; [D] Ashley Cole, Michael Ciani, Dave Romney, Rafael Garcia; [M] Jermaine Jones, Jonathan dos Santos, Emmanuel Boateng, Giovani dos Santos, Romain Alessandrini; [F] Gyasi Zardes. Fun Fact: Atlanta United striker Josef Martínez continued his scoring streak tonight. He has scored an incredible eight goals in his last four matches.
Atlanta UTD Communications
ATLANTA, GA. –Three Atlanta United Academy products have been called into the U.S. roster to represent their country at the U-17 World Cup in India this Fall. Goalkeeper Justin Garces, midfielder Chris Goslin and forward Andrew Carleton have been named in John Hackworth's 21-player roster for the tournament, which runs from October 6th through the 28th.
“This cycle of players is unique in terms of the quality, depth and work ethic of the group,” Hackworth said. “The biggest challenge in selecting this roster was the competition for spots at almost every position. Our team is looking forward to this opportunity to compete for the U-17 World Cup and are motivated to prove themselves on the world stage.” The group departs Sept. 24 for training in Dubai, where the remaining players will join the camp prior to arrival in India. The USA was drawn into Group A with Colombia, Ghana and India. The team opens group play vs. India on Oct. 6 (10:30 a.m. ET), followed by matches against Ghana on Oct. 9 (7:30 a.m. ET) and Colombia on Oct. 12 (10:30 a.m. ET). The first two games will be played at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, while the final group game will be played at Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. All of the U.S.’s group matches will be broadcast live on FS2 and UNIVERSO. The World Cup will be played in six cities across India: Kochi, Goa, Navi Mumbai, New Delhi, Guwahati, and Kolkata. A total of 24 countries participate in the tournament with the top two teams from each of the six groups, as well as the four best third-place teams, advancing to the Round of 16 on October 16, 17 and 18. The championship and third-place matches take place Saturday, Oct. 28, at the 66,600-capacity Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkata. U.S. 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup Roster by Position: GOALKEEPERS (3): Alex Budnik (Sockers FC; Arlington Heights, Ill.), Carlos Joaquim Dos Santos (S.L. Benfica; Philadelphia, Penn.), Justin Garces (Atlanta United FC; Miami, Fla.) DEFENDERS (6): Sergiño Dest (Ajax; Almere-stad, Netherlands), Christopher Gloster (New York Red Bulls; Montclair, N.J.), Jaylin Lindsey (Sporting Kansas City; Charlotte, N.C.), James Sands (New York City FC; Rye, N.Y.), Tyler Shaver (New York City FC; Greenwich, Conn.), Akil Watts (Portland Timbers, Fort Wayne, Ind.) MIDFIELDERS (6): George Acosta (North Carolina FC; Hollywood, Fla.), Taylor Booth (Real Salt Lake; Eden, Utah), Christopher Durkin (D.C. United; Glen Allen, Va.), Blaine Ferri (Solar Soccer Club; Southlake, Texas), Chris Goslin (Atlanta United FC; Locust Grove, Ga.), Indiana Vassilev (Unattached; Savannah, Ga.) FORWARDS (6): Ayo Akinola (Toronto FC; Brampton Ont.), Andrew Carleton (Atlanta United FC; Powder Springs, Ga.), Jacobo Reyes (C.F. Monterrey; Houston, Texas), Bryan Reynolds (FC Dallas; Little Elm, Texas), Joshua Sargent (St. Louis Scott Gallagher Missouri; O'Fallon, Mo.), Tim Weah (Paris Saint-Germain F.C., Rosedale, N.Y.) About Atlanta United Atlanta United brings Major League Soccer to the southeast for its 2017 inaugural season. Early in its first year, the club has broken the MLS record for season ticket sales with over 35,000 sold and has set several league records in average attendance. Owned by one of the city’s most influential businessmen and philanthropists, Arthur M. Blank, and led by club President Darren Eales, Atlanta United opened the state-of-the-art Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 10. For more information about Atlanta United, including how to purchase season tickets, visit: www.atlutd.com, and follow @ATLUTD. Written by Adrian Beecher Atlanta, GA - Saturday afternoon’s MLS match between Atlanta and Orlando City was one for the ages as both teams offenses exploded in a 3-3 draw. Even more illuminating were the MLS record 70,425 fans in attendance to watch the match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Despite possession dominance early on and throughout the match by Atlanta, Orlando was able to draw first blood early in the match in the 10th minute with Dom Dwyer scoring his first goal for the club since his transfer from Sporting KC. United wasn’t able to get a goal until the 36th minute when Josef Martinez, following up a three-goal performance last Wednesday against New England, was able to get things going for Atlanta. However, Orlando would then strike right back 3 minutes later with Dwyer again notching a goal to send the Lions into the locker-room at the half. That bang, bang trend of goals continued early on in the second half as Martinez again put one into the back of the net in the 55th much to the elation of the Atlanta faithful. Then once again, three minutes later, Dwyer sent in a cross to the box where Cyle Larin was able to head on it to send it to the back of the net to once again put Orlando City on top, this time 3-2. Atlanta continued to dominate the possession throughout, which gave them ample opportunities to score. Then in the 69th minute it happened, as Hector Villalba sent in a cross that Josef Martinez got a right foot on and put it past Orlando City keeper Joe Bendick in the bottom right corner. This made it to consecutive matches that Martinez was able to notch hat trick performances. The rest of the match was filled with opportunities for each team, but none would break the tie. As the final whistle blew, the fans, 70,000+ strong erupted in approval. It was evry evident that the fan support helped play a role in Atlanta being able to answer each Orlando City goal. “We’ve been saying it for a while but the support today was even better than usual. We’re happy to play in front of a fanbase like that. “ said Atlanta manager Gerardo Martino after the match of the fans. “It’s clear that the fans have a fervent passion for soccer here — the same passion that our players have on the field. Today, we were able to come back three times from three goals down and I like that attitude from our team.”” Atlanta finished the match dominating possession 62 to 38, along with shots 17 to 10. United was also able to acquire 11 corners to just 3 for Orlando City. Despite the draw, it was an amazing chance for the league to show their growth and competition level in front of a record crowd for the MLS. Written by Kevin Drake On Wednesday, Atlanta United (12-6-8) and New England Revolution (10-5-13) faced off in their first ever meeting. For Atlanta it was a good night as they picked up the 7-0 shutout. However, for New England, things went downhill fast and in a hurry. The first goal of the match was scored in the second minute by Atlanta on a beautiful shot from Josef Martinez. That was just the start for Martinez though s he would finish the first half with a Hat Trick. In total, Atlanta notched 4 goals in the first half, to make this one a near insurmountable climb for the revolution in the first 45. “I think we’re doing things well. Obviously, today’s game got a little complicated with them going down two players but I think we’re playing really well at home. We’re making it hard for teams to play here and we need to continue on this path and we’re going to do important things.” Said Martinez of the teams performance post match. To New England’s case, they were at a disadvantaged for most of the game with two of their players, midfielder Xavier Kouassi (16’)and defender Antonio Delamea Mlinar (38’), picking up red cars in the first half of the game. This would force them to play with only 9 players from the 38th minute on. Thie first red card given was a play that was actually reviewed. New England Head Coach Jay Heaps gave his thoughts on the video replay that eneded in the red card being displayed, “I don’t think anyone’s seen anything like it, because [Video Review] just came into play,” “a reach” based on the replay. “It is what it is. We’re in a new age, a new era.” Despite the red cards, Heaps felt that the biggest mistake of the game came with the early goal from Atlanta, “The biggest mistake that we had tonight was giving up the goal in the [second] minute, because we were prepared for them, ready for them, and we took a bad approach to that first goal,” “That’s unfortunate, because that derailed the rest of the game.” Atlanta head coach Gerardo Martino was jubilant about the victory, however addressed the fact that playing a team that picks up early red cards can really change the dynamics of the match. “It’s different. The other day, we played 11 on 11. Today, after the second goal, we played against a team of 10 players and after the third goal, a team with nine player.”, said Martino, “I don’t think it’s fair to make an analysis of that.” Atlanta United will host Orlando City SC Saturday September 16th at 4 pm ET in Atlanta, while the New England Revolution will travel to Sporting Kansas City Saturday with an 8:30 pm ET scheduled kick. |
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