Atlanta United felt the rhythm of the drumline in the stands on HBCU night. The passing was precise and in time, as the 5-Stripes combined well to create more than enough scoring chances. The final product, though, wasn't there for the entire match. Despite a late push, Atlanta United didn't have the winner and drew 1-1 with FC Dallas Saturday night.
Final score: Atlanta United 1, FC Dallas 1
Quote from head coach Ronny Deila: "We should kill this game. We should have more clear cut chances also because we had so much around their box. That's the thing we can improve. But at the same time, I [have seen] also a lot of improvement in the team, because I see now more possession. We had possession in their half and in their box ... I need to be patient, and I see improvement in a lot of things, but at the same time it's frustrating not to win the game."
What happened: It took a while for the game to warm up, surprising given the roof was open at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta won a couple of early corners and set pieces, but nothing materialized.
Then, Xande Silva got an idea. He picked up a loose ball in the middle of the pitch and looped a through ball over the Dallas defense. Emmanuel Latte Lath, of course, got on the end of it with his speedy run. He brought the ball down and put a body on his defender, who couldn't help but drag him down in the box.
Miguel Almirón calmly slotted away Atlanta United's first penalty kick of the season in the 17th minute in the bottom left corner. It was his 23rd MLS regular season goal, a mark that ties with Thiago Almada for second-most in club history.
The 5-Stripes took that momentum and ran with it. They kept pushing for a second and didn't let Dallas create anything offensively for the next 10 minutes.
Dallas began to grow into the game as the half hour approached. They held possession and pushed the ball inside horizontally after moving it up the field down the wings. Luis Abram had to make a timely sliding tackle to block a point-blank shot in the 29th minute.
Atlanta United stayed deadly on the counter, releasing Latte Lath and Almirón in behind and finding success with over-the-top through balls. Latte Lath was consistently just one through ball away, and he was able to turn up the pace and cut a few passes across the face of goal. Sometimes, it felt like he was even moving too fast for his other forwards.
Deila continued toying around with the attack. Silva and Latte Lath swapped places a couple of times in the first half, likely to rotation which one was pressing up furthest.
The 5-Stripes walked off the pitch staring at a 1-0 scoreline at the break, leading at halftime for the first time since the home opener.
The Morehouse College drumline felt the rhythm in their halftime performance, and Atlanta United got into a rhythm of their own to start the second 45. Matt Edwards darted into the box and went down after a tackle, but the referee looked it off. A few minutes later in the 51st, Almirón found space up the middle, played the ball out wide and received it back around the 6-yard box. He tried to place a shot in the left side of the goal but it was blocked away for a corner.
Dallas went for a triple sub in the 58th minute, and they found the tying goal two minutes later. Luciano Acosta, a man who always seems to give Atlanta United trouble, played a ball in behind and Petar Musa scored his second stab at it. Stian Gregersen blocked his first attempt right back to him, but Musa stayed concentrated. Acosta wasn't credited for the assist because of the deflection, but his deft pass in behind made the goal.
Deila went to his own bench for a quadruple sub, calling on Jay Fortune, Ronald Hernández, Noah Cobb and Alexey Miranchuk in the 66th minute. Almirón moved to the left as Silva went off. Slisz, Edwards and Gregersen also made way.
As the game wound down, Atlanta United saw more of the ball and the better of the chances. The legs were tiring, though, and not having the quickest step doomed a couple of great buildup plays. Jamal Thiaré, who came on in the 87th minute, had the best look from a header a minute later but couldn't find the frame.
Key stat: Atlanta United won its first penalty kick of the season on Matchday 7. The 5-Stripes haven't spent a ton of time on the ball in the opposing 18-yard box, partially because they've scored more often from crosses and first-time strikes. Latte Lath's determination to settle the through ball from Silva and shield it through contact was deserving of a reward.
Standout: Latte Lath ran like a track star all night long. The forward's motor was really running, as he chased after through balls, skilled past defenders and won the penalty to put the 5-Stripes ahead. It was yet another impressive performance from Atlanta United's big money signing, who week in week out is proving worth every penny.
Matt Edwards is quickly becoming one of Atlanta United's most valuable players. He started at left back, his third position this season, having now played all across the backline. And he was the standard. It's easy to forget that Edwards is just 22 and made his first career MLS start at the beginning of the season. He's come a long way already, and he played a stellar 66 minutes before being subbed off.
Milestones:
- Miguel Almirón scored his 23rd MLS regular season goal, a mark that ties with Thiago Almada for second-most in club history. His penalty kick earned him his second straight game with a goal after scoring last week against NYCFC.
- Brooks Lennon made his 150th MLS regular season appearance for Atlanta United. He remains second in that category behind goalkeeper and captain Brad Guzan, who has 206.
- Almirón scored in back-to-back games, becoming the second Atlanta United player to do that this season, alongside Latte Lath.
Up next: Atlanta United will have one more game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium to cap off a three-game homestand, facing New England Revolution April 12. It will be the second game in a row that the 5-Stripes will face a team they played in the preseason. The match will kick off at 2:45 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX as well as on Apple TV MLS Season Pass.
