Atlanta United heads back on the road this weekend for a critical matchup in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The 5-Stripes take on the Philadelphia Union at Subaru Park on Saturday night. Philadelphia sits in the ninth and final playoff spot, three points ahead of Atlanta who currently finds itself in the 11th spot in the standings. A victory on Saturday would bring Atlanta even on points, and with two upcoming home matches next week, could provide some momentum for the teams’ playoff push. The Union have been hot though as of late, winning three of their last four matches. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against Philadelphia Union.
Be sharper in attack when opportunities present themselves
Atlanta’s last opponent, the New York Red Bulls, and Philadelphia play a similar brand of soccer. It’s very aggressive, disruptive and full of energy for the entire match. You don’t have a lot of time on the ball in these types of matchups. Atlanta’s stats reflected that this past Saturday, when the team was only able to complete 69.1% of its passes, the lowest mark of the season. Atlanta also only put three shots on target, two of which found the back of the net. The 5-Stripes need to do a better job of keeping possession and pulling the Union’s pressing defense apart. They need to have clear, decisive passes and then once they break through the first couple of lines, attack with speed and precision. When you get into those moments, the final pass or cross has to be sharper in order to punish Philadelphia. If Atlanta can get into those positions and take advantage of them, it has a chance to secure a big road win.
Don’t allow Philadelphia to get early momentum
Philadelphia has been on fire the last couple of matches. They have outscored their opponents 9-1 in the last two matches, 12-4 if you go back the last four matches. Those 12 goals scored are the most in MLS over the course of the last four matchdays. You can’t allow the Union to get momentum early in the match, or they will capitalize, and the score could get out of hand quickly. This is a veteran team where the core group have been together for several years under Jim Curtin’s reign and they know exactly how they want to play.
Hungarian midfielder Daniel Gazdag once again leads the team in goals with 17 this season. Mikael Uhre has 10 goals and five assists. Another key matchup will come down the Philadelphia left side. German left back Kai Wagner is one of the best in the league in going forward and delivering dangerous service into the box. Coincidentally, Brooks Lennon on Atlanta’s right side is one of the best attacking right backs in the league. Whoever can win that flank will go a long way to determining who wins the match.
Show toughness and fight for the full 90+ minutes
One of the things Atlanta has to get right this weekend and over the course of the last four regular season matches is the fight and toughness for the full 90 minutes plus stoppage time. You can’t play well for just 75 minutes, you have to be switched on defensively and offensively for however long the referee allows play to continue. Atlanta has scored 10 goals in the final 15 minutes plus stoppage time this season, which is not a bad mark. The team has also conceded 10 goals in that same period of time. Philadelphia has shown similar tendencies this season (11 goals scored, 12 conceded in the final 15+ minutes). If it comes down to the final moments of the match, Atlanta will hopefully have learned from last week’s Red Bulls match and close out the contest to secure all three points.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV on Saturday night at 7:30 pm ET when the action kicks off at Subaru Park in Chester, Pa. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
