CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Following the 2-0 loss to Charlotte FC, Atlanta United manager Rony Deila said his side showed what the team is capable of doing defensively during the first half, but the results are the results in the end.
“We cannot control the result, we have to do something with the performance,” Deila said.
Atlanta will host New York Red Bull (Sat., Mar. 8, 7:30 p.m.), Miami (Sun., March 16, 7 p.m.), and New York City FC (Sat., March 29, 7:30 p.m.) in March. Add to that a road match in Cincinnati on Sat., March 22 (2:30 p.m.) and it’s a busy month for the Five Stripes.
“We have to support each other and be a gang when things are going good and bad,” Deila said.
During his post-match press conference, Deila added that his team must remain organized and focused on what they have to do this season.
“Don’t get carried away on what the result is,” he said. “I think that is a thing we have to work on over time.”
On Saturday, Ajani Fortune made his first start of the season in place of Mateusz Klich, and said despite the next two games being at home, Atlanta United needs to find consistency wherever they play.
“It’s always easier playing at home, but I think if you want to be a team that’s successful, you need to do it at home and away,” Fortune said. “You want to be a team that doesn’t matter where we’re playing, home or away, we have that concentration and discipline.”
Fortune said it was fun to play in front of 65,500-plus supporters like they did during the season opener, but it won’t always be so comfortable during the regular season and postseason.
He added, “We need to find a way to have that consistency away from home.”
