We are down to the final three matches of the regular season and Atlanta United needs to pick up points in all three of them for a realistic chance at qualifying for the playoffs. It starts on Wednesday night when the 5-Stripes host CF Montréal. Atlanta sits in 11th in the Eastern Conference, three points behind 8th-place Toronto. Montréal sits in 10th place, as they are tied with Toronto and Philadelphia on points. Atlanta is coming off two road draws at New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia, while Montréal has looked sharp the last two matches, winning both of them at home and not conceding a single goal in the process. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against CF Montréal.
Continue to deliver accurate crosses into dangerous areas
One of the strengths over the last several seasons for Atlanta has been the wing play. They have consistently done a good job of getting into dangerous areas down the flanks and at times delivered really dangerous crosses into the box for attackers to score. They did it once again on the weekend at Philadelphia. Brooks Lennon got into the prime assist zone and delivered an accurate cross to Saba Lobjanidze for the lone goal. Lennon needs just one assist to tie the club record. If the 5-Stripes can push their fullbacks into those overlapping positions and either Lennon on the right, or Pedro Amador on the left, can continue to deliver high quality crosses into the box, Atlanta will create scoring opportunities. Montréal has given up 47 goals from inside its own box this season, the third-highest total in MLS. That’s an area Atlanta needs to attack if it wants to secure three points.
Don’t give Montréal’s attackers space inside the box
On the flip side, Montréal’s attackers only need a little bit of space in the attacking box to deliver results. Last time out, Montréal defeated San Jose 3-0 with two of the three goals coming down the right flank and strikers being found on cutbacks wide open in the box. That is an area Atlanta’s defense has to be aware of on Wednesday night.
Montréal’s attack is led this season by a familiar face to the 5-Stripes in Josef Martínez. The Venezuelan leads the team with eight goals. Two of them came on the weekend. Atlanta’s backline will need to keep their eyes on Martínez who has proven he can get on a scoring run quickly in this league. If Atlanta can contain Martínez and keep Montréal's wingers in check, it will come away with three points.
Find the breakthrough early and keep pushing for more
One of the areas that Atlanta needs to improve on is coming out firing on all cylinders early in the match. The team has scored only four of its 41 goals this season in the opening 30 minutes of a match. There would be no better time to turn that trend around then now with only a few matches remaining in the regular season. Wednesday’s opponent could be the perfect starting point for that. Montréal has given up 29 goals in first halves this season, that’s the second-highest total in MLS. They have also conceded an MLS-leading 22 goals on set pieces this season, another area where Atlanta needs to improve in down the stretch. If the 5-Stripes can find the back of the net early, that could set the tone and help Atlanta secure a critical three points.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV on Wednesday night at 7:30 pm ET when the action kicks off at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
