Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
Goals aren’t always an indicator of how good a soccer match was. Even though there were three goals scored during its 3-0 victory over visiting Chicago Fire on Easter Sunday, this win will go down as the most dominant performance of the early season for Atlanta United because of much more that goals scored.
The clean sheet remains the goal for Atlanta United manager Gonzalo Pineda. During his postgame press conference he explained that a clean sheet is a “team reward”.
“Not all the games will be a three-goal difference, most of the games nowadays are one-goal difference, so it is always good to have that solidity when we are defending the box,” he said.
Atlanta United was back home following a 2-0 loss in Toronto a week earlier. Shorthanded during that match due to national team duties for many of its players, including starter and team leader in assists Thiago Almada, and the team’s leading goal scorer Giorgos Giakoumakis (five goals in four matches). But on Sunday the entire starting lineup including rookie Noah Cobb were on the pitch. Cobb, 18, was making a consecutive start.
The impact of having Almada and Giakoumakis in the lineup can’t properly be quantified. When Giakoumakis went down early in the match with what looked like a leg or knee injury that he sustained near the Chicago goal the entire stadium fell silent. Giakoumakis returned to the pitch a minute later and the round of applause from the 42,525 in attendance was deafening.
In the case of Almada, he found his way to two shots on goal during the first 15 minutes of the match and even though both were near misses, the momentum swings that they produced were immediate.
Despite dominating possession (57%) during the first half of the match, the first Atlanta goal of the match would come minutes before halftime when Soba Lubjanidze found Giakoumakis in front of the Chicago goal. If possession and shots-on-goal (16-4) are any indication of dominance, Atlanta United should have been ahead by five goals at that point of the match.
There were more near misses for Atlanta United throughout the match as dominated play early on. Xande Silva’s bicycle kick attempt in 21st minute barely missed. He would miss again in the 4and minute. French midfielder Tristan Muyumba even had a shot on goal that went wide right in the 37th minute.
Following the match Silva commented on the missed opportunities and the pressure those shots put on the Chicago defense. “It’s always good, even if the ball doesn’t go in, it’s good because it gives you confidence and you need to just keep working and that’s what I am going to do,” he said.
Chicago’s first serious shot-on-goal came from forward Hugo Cuypers and that wasn’t until after 60 minutes were already played. Minutes later Atlanta would put the game away on a header from Senegalese forward Jamal Thiare from Brooks Lennon. The goal was Thiare’s second of the season. He scored his third of the season during stoppage time.
Fun Facts:
1-Atlanta United (3-0) is undefeated at home this season and have outscored its opponents 8-1 during that three game stretch. There are two home matches during the month of April.
2-Giakoumakis is second in Major League Soccer in goals scored with five. Christian Arnago, a forward with Real Salt Lake and Lewis Morgan, a midfielder with New York Red Bull, each have scored six goals thus far this season.
What’s Next:
Atlanta United will travel to the boroughs to play New York City FC on Saturday, Apr. 6 before returning home for consecutive home matches against Philadelphia Union and Cincinnati FC on Sunday, Apr. 14 and Saturday Apr. 20.