In the midst of Atlanta United’s busy stretch of matches in early June came another piece of Five Stripe history. The red, black and gold scored its 100th MLS goal, fittingly from Josef Martinez, with the third goal of the Philadelphia Union match earlier this month. With the first century of scoring in the books, it seemed like a good time to look a little deeper. Fans all over the league know about Atlanta United’s prolific attack and the goals the team scores, but how exactly do they find the net time and time again?
One clarification: three own goals have gone in Atlanta United’s favor, but for the purpose of this piece, are not included. We’ve therefore included the three goals scored since –– versus NYCFC and Columbus –– to break down the first 100 scored by the team.
Who scores?
The first question is the easiest: who is scoring the goals for the red, black and gold. Josef Martinez, unsurprisingly leads the way –– with 33 goals in 33 starts, he has scored almost exactly one out of every three of Atlanta United’s goals so far this year. No one else on the squad has tallied even half as many, with Miguel Almirón and Tito Villalba tied with 15 goals each.
Player |
Goals |
Player |
Goals |
1. Josef Martinez |
33 |
T-10. Carlos Carmona |
2 |
T-2. Miguel Almirón |
15 |
T-10. Kenwyne Jones |
2 |
T-2. Tito Villalba |
15 |
T-10. Anton Walkes |
2 |
4. Yamil Asad |
7 |
T-13. Leandro González Pirez |
1 |
5. Julian Gressel |
6 |
T-13. Jeff Larentowicz |
1 |
T-6. Ezequiel Barco |
3 |
T-13. Chris McCann |
1 |
T-6. Greg Garza |
3 |
T-13. Tyrone Mears |
1 |
T-6. Kevin Kratz |
3 |
T-13. Brandon Vazquez |
1 |
T-6. Jacob Peterson |
3 |
T-13. Romario Williams |
1 |
Scoring combinations
Almirón to Martinez is the most common combination, with the Paraguayan setting up seven of Martinez’s goals so far, followed by Julian Gressel assisting Josef Martinez, who have combined for five. Martinez's goalscoring prowess is only more apparent here, with four of the team's top five scoring combinations ending with Josef Martinez finishing the chance.
1. Miguel Almirón to Josef Martinez |
7 goals |
2. Julian Gressel to Josef Martinez |
5 goals |
3. Julian Gressel to Miguel Almirón |
4 goals |
4. Tito Villalba to Josef Martinez |
4 goals |
5. Yamil Asad to Josef Martinez |
3 goals |
How are they scoring?
Atlanta United is doing its most damage inside the box, with more than 86% of their goals coming inside the penalty area. Most of their shots have been created on the ground as opposed to through the air: only 14 have come from an Atlanta United player’s head, with 38 coming from the left and 48 from the right. And the Five Stripes do their best work from open play, with only 16% of the team’s shots so far coming from set pieces.
Just like your youth coach will tell you, the team is finding its most success with low shots to the corners, as you can see in the shot diagram to the left, with high and to the goalkeeper’s right coming next. The team is remarkably consistent when it comes to scoring rate: they’ve scored every 46.5 minutes this year after scoring every 46.1 last season.
The team’s attack is seemingly unstoppable at home: with 51 matches each home and away, 68 of the goals have come in Atlanta in front of the 17’s. The team scores slightly more in the second half, with a staggering 24 coming in the final 15 minutes. Whether it’s burying a team while holding the lead or fighting for a comeback, Atlanta United’s offensive pressure makes an impact by the end of the match.
All in all, that’s all added up to 70 goals in total in the team’s inaugural season –– the fifth-most in MLS history –– and a league-best 33 goals so far this year. With Josef Martinez hunting a Golden Boot and the attack showing no signs of slowing down, let’s hope the next 100 goals are as thrilling as the first.
