Charlotte Walks Away With a 3-2 Win Over Atlanta In The Battle Of I-85
Rivalry games are special no matter the sport and the MLS is no different. Over the weekend, we were treated to another installment of the “Battle of I-85” between Charlotte FC and Atlanta United. I’m happy to announce not only that Charlotte earned a 3-2 win but also that i’m joined by Calum Ewing to recap this rivalry for you. I’ll handle the Charlotte side of things and Calum has a lock on the Atlanta side.
Looking at the table, Charlotte currently sits in seventh in the East on 35 points and with the win, their record away from home improves to 3-9-1. On the flip side, Atlanta finds themselves in 13th place in the East on 20 points. With the loss, Atlanta’s home record drops to 4-4-4. Will Charlotte continue this hot run of form and will Atlanta make a push in the later part of the season? Only time will tell.
Now let’s look at the game on paper before each of us get into team specific breakdowns.
Goals
19’ Muyumba (ATL) - A cross from Bartosz Slisz fell to Tristan Muyumba in the middle of the box, who headed it past Kahlina into the top left corner.
46’ Toklomati (CHA) - Pedro Amador was subbed on for Atlanta, immediately gets burnt down the line, and a dangerous low ball across the box by Vargas is met by Toklomati to tie the game from the kickoff.
59’ Zaha (CHA) - Pep Biel plays the ball forward to Zaha, whose first touch takes him past both Atlanta center-backs Edwards and Williams. He then calmly sends the ball to the bottom right corner past Guzan for the lead.
77’ Biel (CHA) - Zaha and Biel connect again as Biel meets the pass just inside the 18 and calmly rolls it past Guzan into the bottom right corner. Charlotte were making a fool of Atlanta’s backline!
86’ Latte Lath (ATL) - One of Atlanta’s best link-up goals of the year, where Miguel Almiron did a 1-2 at the top of the box with Saba Lobjanidze and then played in Latte Lath for a goal that snuck in after flicking off Kahlina’s stretched hand. The striker’s 7th goal of the year was too little, too late for the home side.
Final: 3-2 Charlotte
Possession: 55.5% ATL 44.5% CHA
Total Shots: 19 ATL 8 CHA
Shots on Goal: 6 ATL 4 CHA
Passes: 557 ATL 483 CHA
Pass Accuracy: 88.3% ATL 85.9% CHA
Fouls: 9 ATL 14 CHA
Yellow Cards: 1 ATL 1 CHA
The stats tell an interesting story, now let’s get into our respective teams. First up is Charlotte.
Looking at the Charlotte lineup, I have no complaints. Dean and the rest of the coaching staff didn’t overthink anything and went with (in my opinion) a solid balanced lineup. Kahlina and the backline are strong and they needed to be against an Atlanta team who can turn the game on its head in a second. The midfield is like your comfort food, when you need it, it gets the job done. Pep Biel is always a threat whenever he steps on the pitch and having him in there is a game changer. Getting into the attack, it’s Idan’s time to shine. Pat is in England and it’s his time to shine.
Getting into the match,I wasn’t too happy that Atlanta took the lead early on. Just when I thought all hope was lost, Idan Toklomati put one in the back of the net. Now we’re even. My favorite moment from the match was when Wilfried Zaha cut through the defense and turned back the clock as he put Charlotte ahead. Finally, what more can you say about Pep Biel. He is in my opinon the team MVP and giving The Crown a two goal cushion reinforced that. Overall, I’m happy with how the team battled and picked up three points. Now over to Calum for his thoughts on Atlanta United.
Take it away Calum!
Atlanta’s lineup had some bold choices. Derrick Williams returned to the starting 11 for the first time since June 12 after a foot injury kept him out. Brooks Lennon and Pedro Amador were dropped for Matt Edwards on the left and Ronald Hernandez on the right. Finally, Luke Brennan made his first start for Atlanta United replacing Saba Lobjanidze.
The first half was not perfect, but it gave Atlanta their first opening goal in a match in a long time. Muyumba’s header was not only fantastic, but so was his overall play connecting the midfield, and the nervy backline was holding itself together.
Then, the second half hit.
Ronny Deila subbed out Efrain Morales in the second half because he told him he “couldn’t sprint”. Whether or not that’s the case (Morales is being sold to CF Montreal, according to Tom Bogert) isn’t clear, but it is clear that the move completely transformed the team for the worse. Morales was the best center-back Atlanta had on the pitch, and by moving Matt Edwards (a more natural fullback) to fill his spot rather than sub in Luis Abram, it allowed Charlotte to split the defensive line multiple times. On the first goal, no defenders slid to challenge Vargas’ ball across goal, both Edwards and Williams were beat by one Zaha touch on the second goal, and no pressure was applied to Zaha or Biel on the third goal. The organization was atrocious and lost the match for the home team.
Atlanta’s attack had a bright moment near the end of the match with Miguel Almiron at the 10 combining with Saba and Latte Lath for a goal, and quick feat by Miranchuk led to an Almiron shot saved by Kahlina around minute 75, but for other points in the match, the offense with so much firepower on paper seemed toothless like they have throughout this year. Ronny Deila’s tactics from NYCFC are simply not showing on the pitch now, and with how poor the production is in a match like this where Atlanta controlled the most possession, his job may be at risk. One would think so with the club in Wooden Spoon contention.
Thank you for reading and stay locked in with the Southeast Soccer Report for your soccer coverage in the Southeast.