The Peachtree Hat Trick: Maddie's Three Highlights after ATLUTD beats Atlas 4-1
- Madison Crews
- Aug 7
- 5 min read
Welcome to the Peachtree Hat Trick! Madison Crews here to give you three highlights from yesterday's 4-1 victory for Atlanta United over Atlas in their last match in Leagues Cup.
Atlanta on the Attack
Ever since the Charlotte match,
e have seen Atlanta United continue to get better and better each match, but the results haven't shown it. Kenny Miller talked about it in media before the match and echoed it again after the match.
"When we talked yesterday, I told them that I felt they probably deserved more because of the way they have been playing of late, and I think it was well-earned tonight," said Miller.
I completely agree. We saw Atlanta be more dangerous in the attack today, but also be very solid defensively. They took chances and they didn't get flustered when they didn't have the ball. They weren't impatient. They picked their moments and made them count. Atlanta only had 45% of possession, but they looked more dangerous than Atlas throughout the whole match.
This is exactly how Ronny Deila wants this team to play. To not be afraid and to dare to play. Take those opportunities and that's exactly what Atlanta did yesterday.
Under Pressure
One thing that I have noticed when watching Atlanta in the last few weeks is the evolution of Atlanta's press. Deila has said many times this season that he wants his team to play with a high line and a high press.
Atlanta has been very aggressive when they don't have the ball by causing those turnovers in the midfield and closing down passing lanes, tackling and disrupting an opponent's rhythm. Atlas couldn't get anything going in the first half.
When you go up 3-0 at halftime, you know that Atlas is going to come out swinging. Atlanta handled being pushed back and being under more pressure very well. They shut down those moments that Atlas did have in the attacking third.
Atlanta also practiced playing out of pressure this week as well. How to quickly and efficiently get the ball out of your defensive half.
It was quick passes from the
backline, back to Jayden and the picking out those passing lines.
"Every single one of them can go home and be really proud of their performance tonight, and of course the fact that we won. I told the team, ‘When you go up three-nil at halftime, and then you get a fourth,’ which was a fantastic header from Cayman [Togashi] and Nyk Sessock getting his assist, ‘You’re going to find yourself pushed back a little bit and under maybe more pressure than you were at the start of the match,'" said Miller.
"I thought they dealt with it all really well though, and had it not been for a deflection, Jayden [Hibbert] would be walking away with a clean sheet as well. All-in-all, I’m really, really proud of the team, because it has been a tough run, it really has, and we probably have felt a little bit sorry for ourselves during the course of it, but we went out there tonight, got the win, stopped the rot, and it is really, really important now that we move during these last ten MLS matches."
Atlanta was comfortable with the ball at their feet and comfortable without the ball. Even though the stats might not show it, Atlanta controlled the match.
Breaking In, Breaking Out
We talked about it all week leading up to the match that this match might not mean a lot as both teams were eliminated from Leagues Cup, but it wasn't meaningless to the individuals playing. Kenny Miller also talked about it too this week in media. This is an opportunity to rest players, but also give players who have been knocking on the door all season long.
One of those players is Nyk Sessock. Sessock made his MLS debut back on June 12 as a substitute against New York City FC, and has been call-up a few time this season for the A. He also came in as a sub on Aug. 2 against Pumas. Sessock was signed with the 2's this season, but earned a contact with the first team this week for the rest of the season. I have watched Nyk with the 2's all season long and he has been fighting for this moment since he came to Atlanta.
He earned his first start with Atlanta United last night and had his first assist with the club as Cayman Togashi got a head to it, but that connection has been there all season with ATLUTD 2.
"With the connection, it starts off the field, like we spoke about before," said Sessock to me in the Mixed Zone when asked about his connection with Cayman on the field with the 2's. "Just the banter that we have, and we smile, we laugh, we joke, and, you know, that always translates onto the field. I’m super pleased for him, he’s a great dude and he deserves it.”
This is why at SDH we highlight Atlanta United 2 and the Academy. These players are the building blocks to what make a first team so successful. Without the 2's, you wouldn't have the development of players like Luke Brennan, Sessock and Cooper Sanchez. It's about getting young players minutes at a professional level to get them ready when the moment comes.
Luke Brennan is another perfect example. He earned his first assist with the First Team last night when he found Alexey Miranchuck in the box after he split two defenders. Luke has been consistently improving every single time he is on the field.
Last night is a perfect example as to why you NEED to pay attention to these younger players and Atlanta United 2. This is the future of Atlanta United.
"I think that’s the thing about looking forward to tonight to have a look and see if we could continue progressing what we've been doing well over the last month, even with the changes that were made," said Kenny Miller to me post match in an exclusive interview on 92.9 the Game. "I think we succeeded there, and tonight we, obviously, took our chances. We got our goal. We got balls in front and we were able to enjoy it a little bit more, but I thought that the young players were excellent. It just goes to show where the club is. And it’s a good position when you've got that many players kind of pushing the older guys to get into the lineup. It's always good for competition.”
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