Atlanta United's Three-Match Win Streak Ends in 2-0 Loss to Charlotte FC
- Jon Nelson
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Goals from Idan Toklomati and Liel Abada, both set up by Allan Saint-Maximin, handed the Five Stripes their first loss in four matches and left them four points outside the final playoff spot.
In a very crowded Eastern Conference, every match has elevated importance going forward. For Atlanta United, smack dab in the middle of the race to get into the postseason, that added importance was met with rival Charlotte FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday night.
A fast lineup of forwards and a consistent press on defenses gave the Five Stripes constant issues that resulted in a 2-0 shutout loss to the visitors, Kristijan Kahlina's fourth clean sheet of the season, and Charlotte finished the night in fourth in the East.
For Tata Martino and Atlanta United, Lucas Hoyos started in net, with the larger question on the evening being what the backline would look like with the one match suspension of Elias Baez for yellow card accumulation.
The answer came in the form of Matt Edwards getting the start on the left with Paulo Diaz, Junior Alonso, and Tomas Jacob. The defensive midfield was Tristan Muyumba and Will Reilly. The attacking midfielders were Miguel Almiron, Aleksey Miranchuk, and Cooper Sanchez, with Fafa Picault up top.
For Charlotte, Kristijan Kahlina was in net. The backline, left to right, was David Schnegg, Tim Ream, Henry Kessler, and Will Cleary. Djibril Diani, Pep Biel, and Ashley Westwood made up the midfield, and the forward line was Allan Saint-Maximin, Idan Toklomati, and Liel Abada.
Charlotte held Atlanta in check with their pressure in the first fifteen minutes, and it took the first of a few big moments from Lucas Hoyos to keep the match goalless. He came up with a double save from the centre of the box, stopping shots from Toklomati and Diani back to back. Atlanta got their first real opportunity with Aleksey Miranchuk and Tomas Jacob combining two minutes later. The ensuing corner came from a deflected Jacob effort.
Atlanta tried the short corner combination of Almiron and Miranchuk, but Fafa Picault was a half second late meeting the ball inside the six yard box, and Kahlina corralled it for the save.
Charlotte got on the board in the 22nd minute as the crowd of 40,385 got to see firsthand why Allan Saint-Maximin was brought in by head coach Dean Smith and the front office. A sprint down the left resulted in a cross through the six, and Pep Biel went full stretch at the far post to keep the ball in play. Coming down the middle, Idan Toklomati put the ball in the net past Hoyos, assisted by Biel, for the first goal of the match.
"Charlotte's wingers are fast," Martino said afterward. "On the first goal, we never thought their left winger would be able to get past Tomás."
Atlanta United had their next chance a few minutes later with a switch to Jacob once more that resulted in a corner, but nothing came of the rush down the field.
One moment of concern for the home team came in the 39th minute, as Paulo Diaz was wiped out on a Charlotte possession. He got treatment from the physio staff but eventually continued. Hoyos came up with his second big save of the half in first half stoppage time, coming off his line to turn away a one on one look from Liel Abada, set up by Saint-Maximin, and keeping the moment to a positive for Atlanta United.
"We had a lot of absences, and our opponent was at full strength," Martino said. "I don't think they were missing a single player. When you have to face that kind of opponent, the kind you're going to run into in the playoffs or the play in, and you're not at full strength, it's difficult. That's also why they beat us so clearly."
The match itself was tilted statistically in the first 45, with Charlotte FC leading in shots (8-6, four of those on target) and in big chances, all but the one converted for Charlotte. Atlanta, conversely, led in defensive actions trying to suppress the visitors' speed: 4-1 in interceptions, 13-6 in clearances, and 3 Hoyos saves.
With Charlotte leading and Atlanta United chasing an equalizer, the Five Stripes had the advantage in most stats across the board. But Charlotte got their second marker in the 48th minute, as Liel Abada beat Hoyos to the bottom left corner from the right side of the box on a fast break, assisted by Saint-Maximin, for a 2-0 advantage.
"On the second goal, we were six against three," Martino said. "They were better than us from the moment the ball started moving. We couldn't even react to start the second half. Instead of us reacting, they scored the second goal."
The visitors were content to sit and defend in two lines of four consistently down the stretch, if not a line of four and a line of five. Atlanta United had 12 total shots in the second 45, with five of those on target.
Martino did not need much time to identify who had hurt Atlanta most. "Their left winger, [Saint-] Maximin, also just arrived, didn't he," he said. "And he played. Boy, did he play. I wish we had the money to pay for everybody."
Atlanta's three match win streak came to an end, and the loss left them four points out of the final playoff spot in the East. Next up for the Five Stripes is a trip to Miami to take on Inter Miami CF at Nu Stadium next Saturday.
"We have to move forward, keep going," Martino said. "We're probably about to face the roster with the best individual talent in Major League Soccer, including the best player in the world. He scored three or four goals today, and the truth is we're going to be playing a team that, in my opinion, is the best of them all. We suffered an unfortunate loss tonight, but every match we play from here until the end of the regular season is a final for us. There isn't much more room to keep losing."
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