This one stings, Atlanta. After a hard-fought, scoreless first half, a second-half penalty saw our Atlanta United fall 1-0 at home to Philadelphia Union, extending our winless streak. Let’s break down what happened at the Benz.
The final whistle blew with Atlanta United 0, Philadelphia Union 1 on the scoreboard, a result that leaves us all wanting more.
What Went Down:
The game started with both keepers called into action early. Jay Fortune found a streaking Miguel Almirón, but Philly’s keeper, Andrew Rick, collected the cross. At the other end, Brad Guzan came up big with a flying save to deny Bruno Damiani.
A long switch from Matt Edwards found Pedro Amador, sparking a dangerous opportunity. After Amador’s initial cross was cleared, he headed it back in, finding Alexey Miranchuk who teed up Brooks Lennon, but Lennon’s shot sailed high.
Then came one of our best chances of the half! Lennon crossed to Jamal Thiaré, who looked set for a bicycle kick, but the ball went past him to a wide-open Amador. His powerful shot had the Benz holding its breath, but Rick managed to get a fingertip to it for the save.
We had an early forced change in the 20th minute, with Saba Lobjanidze replacing the injured Lennon. Saba slotted in as the right wingback, keeping our three-center-back setup.
Another golden opportunity came around the 30-minute mark when Amador crossed to Thiaré at the edge of the six-yard box, but Jamal’s header went just wide. So close!
While the first half felt like ours for a good stretch, Philly gained momentum towards the end. They even edged us in shots and expected goals in that first 45.
The pivotal moment came in the 54th minute. A long ball put Guzan in a tough spot, and his attempted clearance led to a VAR review for a handball on Luis Abram’s block of Mikael Uhre’s shot. The ref pointed to the spot, and Golden Boot leader Tai Baribo, who came on at halftime, converted the penalty in the 59th minute for his 11th goal of the season.
Down a goal, Coach Deila brought on Emmanuel Latte Lath and Edwin Mosquera for Thiaré and Muyumba, looking for that spark in attack. Miggy was at the heart of our attempts to equalize, setting up Saba for a shot that went straight to the keeper and later heading a long ball down for Latte Lath, but Philly’s defense swarmed to deny a clean shot.
Even in stoppage time, we pushed hard. Jay Fortune delivered a cross to Latte Lath, who laid it off for Derrick Williams, but Rick came up with another quality save to crush our hopes of a late equalizer.
Standout: Jay Fortune was a bright spot, showcasing his versatility and creating chances from midfield with his dribbling, passing, and awareness. He was constantly looking to link up with Miggy and provided that late cross that almost led to a goal.
Quote from Coach Deila: It sums up the frustration: “We have five big chances, but we don’t put anything in the goal. When [Philadelphia] get their opportunities, they do it. And they won… I feel that when they get the ball in the box, they are more dangerous than us.”
This one hurts, Atlanta. We created chances, but we couldn’t finish them. We keep fighting, though.
What are your thoughts on the match, ATL? Let’s hear them. We’ll be back stronger.
