The Peachtree Hat Trick: A Clean Sweep for ATLUTD this Weekend
- Madison Crews
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
WHAT A WAY TO END MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND THAN WITH 3 POINTS FOR BOTH ATLANTA UNITED AND ATLANTA UNITED 2! Back again for the Peachtree Hat Trick for Atlanta's CLEAN SWEEP!
Holding the Line: Enea Mihaj’s Impact for Atlanta United
One of the unsung hero's for me in Atlanta's 1-0 victory over Nashville last night was Enea Mihaj. He has really impressed me in the last few matches. That partnership with Stian Gregersen has continued to develop and is getting stronger.
"He’s a winner. You can feel it in the dressing room, you can see it on the pitch. He celebrates the tackles. He’s the most happy guy on that pitch after winning. So, that’s what we need," said Atlanta United Head Coach Ronny Deila after the match. "We need that passion. We have fans that are passionate , the city is passionate. We need to be the same. And that’s what we are aiming for every day. But he has really grown and come into the group in a very positive way."
His leadership not only being showcased on the pitch, but also in the locker room for the Five Stripes. One thing that I loved seeing for Enea was how he immediately took charge and organized the back line. He is a vocal leader in every way. He was one of the first people over to Ronald Hernández after he scored in the 24th minute. He was there and hyping Ronald as well as everyone else up after the goal. That is the energy you want. This reinforces the connection he has built with the team in the short amount of time he has been here.
Having a player with that passion helps everyone around them do better and want to be better. Ronny talked about the team having the mentality that Enea has.
Enea Mihaj is a fighter, he is gritty and he is the exact player that that is needed for Ronny Deila's team.
Re-Introducing Deila Ball
Last night, we saw what Deila ball can be. Ronny Deila has said he wants a team to play a high line, is aggressive and can hold the ball, but one element that hasn't been talked about enough is how the team counter pressed against Nashville.
Quick reminder for everyone: counter pressing and pressing have two different meanings. Pressing is when you apply pressure to an opponent in possession of the ball to try and win the back back or force a turnover. Counter pressing is when a team loses possession and they attempt to immediately win the ball back
instead of falling back into a defensive shape.
That's Deila Ball. Being aggressive in every moment on the pitch and doing everything you can to win the ball back or force a team to make a mistake. That counter pressing and the commitment to it is what Ronny needs from his players for success. Atlanta caused Nashville a lot of problems last night, especially in the middle third and the attacking third. Atlanta forced Nashville to give possession right back to them many times because Nashville couldn’t cope with the counter press.
"We have to attack the win. And to have a championship team, you have to be comfortable being in the lead and you have to be comfortable having the ball like we had in the first half hour. But that happened so many times this year. We have players that are just starting to get back from different things or coming to the club. So, fitness wise, we are not where we should be. But today we fought as a team. We were compact and we were organized. We stood in it for 95 minutes and that's a big improvement," Deila said after the match.
"I've said the whole time now the last seven, eight games that we are a different team than we were in the beginning. I see so much progress, but the results are the most important. Now [in our last] nine games. We have six draws, two losses and a win (in the league). And we need to keep on working with the details that are making us defending better and attacking better. That's the main part. I see what I see. And I've been doing this for 20 years, so I know that we are going somewhere."
Getting your first road win of the season is huge for morale and helping to continue to build off of what was good in this performance.
Hot at Home: ATLUTD 2 Keep Rolling
ATLUTD 2 extended its home unbeaten streak to five games after beating #2 in the Eastern Conference, Huntsville City, 2-0. Both Cooper Sanchez and Toto Majub scored their first professional goal in this match, and it is well deserved for both of them.
Toto Majub, unfortunately, couldn't play in Atlanta's 4-1 win over Inter Miami II on Wednesday, and that gave Majub extra motivation to help his team against Huntsville.
"I really wanted to play because the team needs me. So, I was happy that the team won the game because we corrected our mistakes in training. We had to get the three points, and then we told ourselves that every game, at home, we have to get the three points," said Majub after the match. "We have the advantage (at home). I told myself that- now I didn't play the game in Miami- so I had to do my level best good performance to make the team win because they missed me in the other game. They're expecting a lot from me and that's why I had to return and we won the game."
I have to say, it has been so much fun watching the 2's this whole season. We have seen so many breakthrough performances and new faces come through and make and impact. It has been fun to see Silva Ball develop in these matches as well.
I talked about it in the last Peachtree Hat Trick. Jose Silva talked about how in that road match against Inter Miami that everyone wanted to be a superhero and help the team win, but it's 11 guys on the field. Ever since that match, we have seen a turn for the 2's.
"I think the biggest difference between these last five games is, really, the togetherness of the team. I would say, before, it was kind of an 'individual team,' you know, hoping on individual magic at some points during the season. And now there's 11 collective guys fighting for one goal is to make playoffs like that's our our main goal," said Cooper Sanchez after the match in Kennesaw. "We all step on the field and we know our job. And our job is to get three points, win the game, and get to the playoffs."
This is a great group of guys and it is cool to finally see their hard work pay off as their playoff push continues.
"I'm really proud for the guys, because, we always thought, that this season is not... we didn't get what we deserve in games. Then we play really good and we can capitalize on our chance. I mean, I remember two games again- New York Red Bulls- they're first in the standings, and both games with them, we dominated," said Interim Head Coach Jose Silva. "We should have won the games, and I feel this is massive for the guys. Because, again, it's a team that learns lessons, and I feel that the guys are learning different lessons. One is, we have a lot of talent. We need to believe in ourselves, and every game, if we go game by game and if we do our job then we are going to be in playoffs."
The 2's have five matches left in the regular season and only one more home match in late September at "The Fraction" having won four of their last five. Heading into Sunday night's play in the Eastern Conference in MLS NEXT PRO, Atlanta United 2 is one point out of the playoffs.
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