Much like the last meeting between the two clubs, Atlanta United walked away with a draw against New York City FC on Saturday night. The 1-1 draw marks the first point Atlanta has taken on the road for the 2024 regular season.
Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, created a more compact environment for the match.The cozy confinements of the pitch led to quick passes; one of the earliest chances for Atlanta United came from Thiago Almada, after a sideways pass from Brooks Lennon. This began the back-and-forth play that carried throughout the match.
Lennon played a key part in several of the scoring chances the 5-Stripes in the first half. After a forced turnover and pass from Lennon, in the 28th minute, Tristan Muyumba’s shot went over the goal. Almada was another player that made an impact in the first half of the match with two good looks coming from the Argentinian striker.
Off to a promising start to the 2024 season, Saba Lobjanidze had the best chance for the club in the first half. It took a diving save from NYCFC’s keeper, Matt Freese, in the 39th minute to keep Atlanta off the scoresheet.
Quickly after the opportunity from Lobjanidze, NYCFC went right back down the pitch. While trying to counterattack New York's fast transition, Muyumba was called for a foul. After a lengthy review on the play, New York City was awarded a penalty kick. In the 43rd minute of the match, Santiago Rodriguez gave NYCFC the one goal lead.
In the six extra minutes of stoppage time, there were more shots traded by each club, but the first half ended with New York City up by a goal.
The beginning of the second half picked up after a free kick for Atlanta United. Tayvon Gray received the second yellow card for New York; the first yellow card came early in the match to James Sands in the 15th minute. Tyler Wolff tried to juggle the bouncing ball after a free kick from Almada before it was knocked out of play. As the match’s pace picked up, Lennon continued his strong defensive play. He made sliding dive to stop a New York scoring chance.
Both Atlanta and New York made substitutions in the 56th minute of the game. Edwin Mosquera came for Wolff.
In the 65th minute, after a stellar long ball from Brad Guzan, Mosquera delivered a clean cross to Jamal Thiaré. Coming off scoring his first two goals as an Atlanta United member, Thiaré scored his third goal of the season. Guzan was credited with an assist on the goal. It was his first in his MLS career. After putting Atlanta on the scoreboard, Thiaré was subbed out for Derrick Etienne Jr.
Each team made offensive pushes to try and break the draw, trading chances. To keep the score even, Guzan made a jumping save on Rodriguez. In the 81st minute, both teams made more substitutions. For Atlanta, Jay Fortune came in for Lobjanidze. Mitja Ilenic and Agustin Ojeda came in for Tayvon Gray and Hannes Wolf respectively for New York.
The end of the second half, as well as the three minutes of stoppage time, was more tactical than the majority of the match. Both teams got looks for the go-ahead goal, but most of the maneuvering was more defensive in nature. The last goal from Thiaré for Atlanta to get the road point was similar to the last match the 5-Stripes played against NYCFC. After a hard-fought match, Atlanta United get the road point they have been looking for. Their record is now 3-2-1 for a total of 10 points.
Atlanta United | New York City FC | |
|---|---|---|
Shots | 19 | 23 |
Shots on target | 6 | 2 |
Corner kicks | 5 | 7 |
Fouls committed | 11 | 13 |
xG | 3.5 | 2.4 |
Possession | 47% | 53% |
Passing accuracy | 77% | 82% |
Up Next - The 5-Stripes are back at home against Philadelphia Union
Another Sunday afternoon match is next for Atlanta United. The 2:30 match will be at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will be broadcast nationally on FOX.
