Atlanta United heads to Foxborough on Wednesday night for the second meeting this season with New England Revolution. The 5-Stripes are coming off a wild 2-1 victory against Toronto FC on the weekend, where Jamal Thiaré secured all three points in the final seconds of the match. New England is playing its second consecutive home match and looks to bounce back after a 5-1 defeat at home to Columbus Crew. With the victory on Saturday, Atlanta moved into a tie for eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings and sits just two points below seventh. New England has struggled this season and currently sits in 14th ahead of Wednesday night’s match. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against New England Revolution.
Take advantage of scoring opportunities when they present themselves
Atlanta begins a two-match road trip this week with the trip to New England before going to Real Salt Lake on the weekend. The team’s road form has been solid the last couple of weeks with seven points from the last three road matches. One of the keys to adding another three points to that result will be the effectiveness in front of goal. When you are on the road, you have to be clinical in front of net when chances present themselves. Atlanta has done a decent job of creating shots as the team is averaging 14.5 shots per 90 minutes this season. If it can be clinical in front of net on Wednesday, the team will extend its current run of points on the road.
Don’t allow New England to regain confidence with an early goal
Coming off a 5-1 home defeat on the weekend, New England’s coach Caleb Porter is looking for a response from his team on Wednesday night. Before the Columbus match, New England won four consecutive matches, the team's longest win streak of the season. The Revolution is once again led offensively by Carles Gil. The Spanish playmaker has scored five goals and added six assists to lead the team in both categories. He has a good record against Atlanta in his career as well, scoring four goals and adding four assists in nine previous meetings. Giacomo Vrioni is another dangerous striker that Atlanta’s backline will have to deal with on Wednesday. He has scored five goals on 18 shots on target. If Atlanta’s defense and midfield can be organized and limit Gil’s playmaking ability, the team will be in position to earn another positive result at Gillette Stadium.
Take advantage of wing play and deliveries into the box from wide areas
One of Atlanta’s strengths all season has been the wing play and finding opportunities to cross the ball into the box. Brooks Lennon has consistently been one of the top players in the league in terms of successful crosses. But as a team, Atlanta ranks fourth in MLS with a successful crossing percentage of 35.5% coming into Wednesday’s match. In the new formation that interim coach Rob Valentino has used with wingbacks, Lennon and Caleb Wiley have been given the freedom to find those crossing opportunities on the flanks and crash the box on the far post to provide more numbers in the box for Atlanta’s attack. If the 5-Stripes can connect on a few of those crosses and create quality scoring opportunities, they have a chance to pick up three more points.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV and FS1 on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm ET when the action kicks off at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
