Atlanta United hits the road for the first time in 2022 this weekend when the team travels to face last year’s Western Conference regular season leaders Colorado Rapids. After training in sunny Atlanta for the last several weeks, the forecast for Saturday’s match calls for a chilly high of 48 degrees with a chance of snow. The 5-Stripes are coming off a 3-1 victory in the season opener, while the Rapids are looking for their first points of the new campaign. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by The Home Depot against Colorado Rapids.
Continue Creating Big Chances
Gonzalo Pineda’s squad did an excellent job executing one of the big points of emphasis during the preseason. Creating big chances. Atlanta United finished the week with five big chances created, the second-highest total in all of MLS during Week 1. It marked only the second time since August 2019 that the team created five or more big chances in a single match.
Atlanta also featured three different goal scorers in the opener, showing the squad’s depth and quality across the board. Dom Dwyer and Caleb Wiley scored off the bench, Marcelino Moreno and Brooks Lennon also made an impact in their substitute appearances. Coach Pineda has praised the club throughout the preseason for giving him a squad that has depth and competition all over the pitch.
Be aware of the Rapids balanced attack
Colorado finished the 2021 season with the most points in the Western Conference. The team features a lot of MLS experience and used that to secure the top seed and earn a place in the 2022 Concacaf Champions League. One of the keys to last year’s success for Colorado was a balanced attack. Michael Barrios led the team with eight goals scored, but five players scored five or more goals for the Rapids. Atlanta’s defense needs to keep an eye on Barrios and speedster Jonathan Lewis. The duo combined for 15 goals and eight assists during last year’s regular season. The Rapids also lost in the CCL Round of 16, giving them a full week of preparation ahead of Saturday’s clash with Atlanta.
Winning Back Possession Quickly
Atlanta United is looking to press and win the ball back in higher positions under Gonzalo Pineda. A prime example came in the 20th minute of the opener, when the team’s pressure forced a turnover in the attacking half. Two passes, and only a couple seconds later, Luiz Araujo was in on goal scoring the first goal of 2022. Atlanta United did an excellent job this past weekend of winning back possession (70 possessions won; 4th in MLS) and controlling the duels (winning 56.2% vs. SKC). They will look to build on that in Colorado and capitalize on mistakes made by the Rapids in their own half.
Fans can tune in locally on Bally Sports Southeast on Saturday night with kickoff set for 6 p.m. ET. Click here to learn how to watch, listen and live stream the match.
