Atlanta United 1-1 Nashville SC: A Tale of Two Halves
Atlanta controlled the first, but Nashville dominated the second half in an entertaining match.
Atlanta United’s record long scoreless streak ended thanks to the foot of Miguel Almiron, but a efficient second half performance from Nashville SC and goal by Dan Lovitz saw them return home with a well-deserved point.
The Lineups
Atlanta United’s lineup had some of the changes recommended in our match preview. Usual attacking midfielder Aleksey Miranchuk moved to the 8, Miguel Almiron replaced him, and Saba Lobjanidze was moved to right wing. Bartosz Slisz was dropped from the lineup and Ajani Fortune started at left wing.
The Nashville lineup was totally unchanged from last Saturday’s drubbing of Chicago Fire. Not really much else to say, the 11 that scored seven goals a week ago more than earned the right to run it back on the road.
It will be interesting to see how many, if any, of this starting lineup makes any kind of appearance against Chattanooga Red Wolves on Tuesday. Though, honestly, if any of these players are required Tuesday something has gone horribly wrong.
Between the Whistles
The new Atlanta lineup would perform well from the start of the match. Ajani Fortune got into the box on the left side two minutes in, whipping a ball through the 6 that no one would meet. United would dominate possession until it paid off in the 20th minute. Pedro Amador crossed a dangerous ball into the box and Nashville goalkeeper Joe Willis went out to punch it away, colliding with Emmanuel Latte Lath in the process. Willis got up quick, however, and saw that the ball fell to Brooks Lennon. Lennon hesitated and then drilled a low ball straight to Miguel Almiron for a short tap-in.
The opener was a historic goal in two ways. First, it was Almiron’s 24th goal for the club, putting him second all-time only behind Josef Martinez. Second, it was Brooks Lennon’s 40th assist, putting him first in club history by passing Julien Gressel.
Possession would begin to change hands and no major chances were created. On one promising Nashville counter attack, Jacob Shaffelburg was played the ball on the left side of the box, but Derrick Williams made a well-timed slide tackle to take away the chance. Heading away the ensuing corner and many others, Williams had a phenomenal performance on his return from injury.
With just about the final kick of the first half, Nashville would have one final effort. Andy Najar clipped a ball in behind for Hany Mukhtar, who brought it down expertly, turned, and chipped a cross for Sam Surridge who was unable to out-muscle two Atlanta defenders and saw his header go over the bar.
Atlanta started the second half quickly. Good combination from Ajani Fortune and Pedro Amador saw Amador get to the edge of the box on the left side. His cross met Fortune’s head, but went wide left.
Pretty much from this point onwards, however, it was all Nashville. Truly. Scroll through the second half and we would almost guarantee you nine times out of ten whatever timestamp you land on, Nashville has probably got the ball in Atlanta’s half.
The Nashville attack, while at times operating with a molasses-like patience and tempo, did generate chances. This culminated finally in the 66th minute as a corner put in by Hany Mukhtar came down onto the foot of Dan Lovitz, who used the side of his foot to redirect the ball towards goal and past Guzan for the equalizer.
After the goal, Nashville had their best non-scoring chances of the match. Mukhtar got the ball on the left corner of the 18-yard box after a corner, curling an effort towards the right post. Guzan dove and made a strong save. A minute or two later, after an Atlanta counter attack that was stopped, Nashville came right back down the field. Great combination play saw a low cross from the right find Mukhtar in the box, but Guzan flew out of goal to make the one-on-one save. A few minutes after that in the 79th minute, Atlanta’s ageless goalkeeper made a strong save with his feet when Nashville’s Johnathan Perez found space in the box, drove towards goal, and hit a low shot to the left near post.
Atlanta would sub out Miguel Almiron around the 85th minute, so they shifted to playing extremely direct while looking for a winner. In the last few minutes of the match, substitute Jamal Thiare flicked on a long forward ball towards Edwin Mosquera near the 18-yard box two separate times. The first time, Mosquera was beat by the defender, but the second he controlled the ball, then lost his footing. Thiare also received a forward ball himself about 6-8 yards out from goal and seemed to be in, but he couldn’t fully control it before Nashville cleared. After those half-chances, the referee blew his whistle for full time.
The Stats
Atlanta United:
Shots - 6
Shots on Target - 2
Corners - 2
Possession - 37%
xG - 0.94
Yellow Cards - 3 (Slisz, Almiron, Klich)
Nashville SC:
Shots - 10
Shots on Target - 5
Corners - 8
Possession - 63%
xG - 1.53
Yellow Cards - 1 (Perez)
The stats comparison in the first and second half paint a nice picture of the game.
First Half:
Shots - 4 to 1 Atlanta
Shots on Target - 2 to 0 Atlanta
Corners - 2 to 2
Possession - 53% Nashville
xG - 0.87 to 0.27 Atlanta
Second Half:
Shots - 9 to 2 Nashville
Shots on Target - 5 to 0 Nashville
Corners - 6 to 0 Nashville
Possession - 74% Nashville
xG - 1.25 to 0.07 Nashville
Analysis
Atlanta United (Calum):
While the first half wasn’t perfect, it was a very good showing from Atlanta United overall. Simply scoring a goal was a good sign! The team retained possession well, Mateusz Klich and Aleksey Miranchuk did a good job picking out passes while further back, building out of the back was solid, and the wingers combined well with the midfield (especially Fortune and Amador).
The most impressive thing from the first half (and the early second) was Atlanta’s defensive discipline. Luis Abram and Derrick Williams both made multiple well-timed tackles to stifle the opposition and were good in the air. The shape when Nashville advanced the ball was tight and well-organized, stepping to the ball at precisely the right moments. It was a great tactical success for the team.
That’s when the second half hit. Nashville controlled possession for the majority of the first 15 minutes, and Atlanta couldn’t seem to get any control of the game after. That’s due to a multitude of factors; for example, many clearances went straight back to the Nashville centerbacks. The wingbacks that were high up in the first half stayed too far back, and when they did, their crosses were inaccurate and ended attacks (mainly the fault of Brooks Lennon). The wingers didn’t transition with speed or drive towards goal. The midfield also didn’t get numbers up on the counter, leaving Almiron to try and take on multiple defenders or only have one option in Latte Lath. Latte Lath didn’t get any service throughout the match, again because of the winger’s positioning.
Subs were made by Deila in the second half that looked good on paper, but the midfield of Slisz and Fortune gave Nashville a lot more space to work with. That made United easier to break down and led to the 3 chances Guzan had to make saves on.
Of all these struggles we can pinpoint, though, there was one disheartening image at the end of the match. In the 92nd minute, Brad Guzan collects the ball and is shouting at his teammates to move up the field for one last attempt at finding a winner. Bartosz Slisz, Aleksey Miranchuk, and a multitude of other players just walk. When the club has struggled this season, fans have said it’s not because of a lack of effort, but that only seems true for a few players. And if that’s arguable, there are players that simply aren’t playing for the badge. There are players that are not delivering on what you invested into them, and they really seem indifferent to their struggling performances. Is it the culture at the club that these players are clashing with? Is there even a culture at all? There are still many questions like this we’ll have to ask of certain players, the team, and the coach over the next few weeks.
To end on a more positive note, Atlanta’s fanbase showed up today. The stadium was mostly full, extremely loud, and getting onto the referee as always. Although attendance dipped last season, and results are now even worse, fans are still here in higher number supporting the club they love.
Atlanta United will play next on May 10 at 2:30pm away against the Chicago Fire.
Nashville SC (Ronan):
This game shares some parallels with previous losses to Cincinnati and Charlotte, but with some important differences. In those games, Nashville took the lead first, and largely collapsed after conceding.
The similarities between those games and this one was that Nashville was dominant for very large spells of the game, and probably created enough chances to win it, without the final product to show for it.
The key difference? Nashville got better after conceding, in direct contrast to the Cincy and Charlotte games. Atlanta was more than comfortable to drop into a low block for the final hour or so of the game, and Nashville, in turn, felt more than comfortable holding the ball in the attacking half.
The patterns of play weren’t always there, but by the latter stages, the correct combinations were being made, and the goal protected by Brad Guzan was under threat.
Overall you’d say a draw is fair given the full match, but Nashville should still feel a bit miffed they’re only walking away with one point instead of three. That’s just kinda the rub of things, especially on the road in this league.
It’s a busy, busy couple weeks coming up for the Boys in Gold, and their depth will be tested. Four home games between now and DC United on May 17th is a lot for a club that hasn’t played more than one game a week all season. Their next match is this Tuesday, May 6 at 8:00pm hosting the Chattanooga Red Wolves in the U.S. Open Cup.
“Of all these struggles we can pinpoint, though, there was one disheartening image at the end of the match. In the 92nd minute, Brad Guzan collects the ball and is shouting at his teammates to move up the field for one last attempt at finding a winner. Bartosz Slisz, Aleksey Miranchuk, and a multitude of other players just walk”—THIS!