Oppo Research: 5 Things about Atlanta United

In this edition of Oppo Research, Hudson River Blue spoke with Rob Usry of Five Stripe Final to learn more about Atlanta United, New York City FC's opponent on Thursday. Here is your NYCFC vs Atlanta United preview.

1. Atlanta is having a poor season

Hudson River Blue: After defeating NYCFC on March 29, Atlanta went on an eight-game winless streak before putting together back-to-back wins, then losing to the Red Bulls. With half the season done, how do you assess Atlanta so far?

Rob Usry: It’s been a rough season, to say the least. Expectations were through the roof after the club splashed a ton of cash and filled all three DP spots. Of course, they brought in an MLS Cup-winning manager and a highly decorated Technical Director as well. Fans were understandably expecting the club to finally escape the doldrums it has found itself in the last five years or so. Then, for the team to get off to the worst start in franchise history, it was a real punch to the stomach.

The most frustrating part of this season has been just how confounding the struggles have been. The talent is there, but for some reason, they just haven’t been able to get on the same page whatsoever. A lack of chemistry being the downfall of a team is quite the conundrum that Ronny Deila has struggled all season to solve. It feels like he’s starting to finally fit certain pieces in the right places, but the process has taken much longer than anyone has expected. Only time will tell if it’s too little, too late for 2025.

2. Emmanuel Latte Lath is struggling

HRB: Emmanuel Latte Lath, who signed for an MLS-record $22 million plus add-ons, is on a 10-game scoring drought, with his last goal coming against NYCFC. He'll miss Thursday's game due to international duty, but what's going on with the striker from the Ivory Coast?

RU: A lot of it goes back to the chemistry issues. Deila has been forced to stray away from his preferred 4-2-3-1 system after it proved to be ineffective with the personnel at his disposal. A lot of the last few months have been him experimenting with different tactics, formations, and players. Latte Lath’s struggles have coincided with having to learn many different lineups and mentalities. Deila went through a very defensive phase during the eight-match winless skid, where he was doing everything possible to try and get points, and nothing at all was working in the attacking end.

Of course, the onus also falls on the player himself to make something happen. If a team pays a $22 million transfer fee for you, at some point you have to live up to that price tag. So far, he’s been unable to get on the same page with his fellow attackers and find a comfort zone. You have to think that getting him back in form and scoring goals is the team’s number one priority at this point.

3. A defense full of inexperienced youngsters and older players

HRB: In 17 games, Atlanta's backline has one clean sheet and conceded 30 goals, second-most in the Eastern Conference and third-most in MLS. What do you attribute the defensive struggles to?

RU: It’s really been a myriad of factors. The team has enjoyed a fairly clean bill of health this season. But the injuries they have suffered have been to defenders. Stian Gregersen has basically missed the whole season. Brooks Lennon and Pedro Amador have been in and out of the lineup. So injuries have definitely hurt their consistency.

But really, it just comes down to a lack of talent, having to rely on inexperienced youngsters, and a couple of players coming to the end of their careers, showing their age. Brad Guzan is statistically one of the worst keepers in the league according to advanced metrics, despite getting showered with praise from the general public for his save numbers. Derrick Williams is also on the decline, and this recent shift to a 5-3-2 has really exposed his lack of athleticism and pace.

Other than the talent just not being good enough, there have been an extraordinary amount of individual errors that have cost the team goals this season. It’s clear for all to see that improving the defensive end of the field is a main priority as we enter the summer transfer window.

4. The X-Factor: Who is available

HRB: What's the X-factor that could decide this game?

RU: This is probably a cop-out, but the X-Factor in this one has to come down to which team has the better availability. With this match coming at such an awkward time after an international break, it’s impossible to know who will be back in time to play. Atlanta has over 10 players out on international duty. So, I guess if Brad Guzan can have one of those magical games like he had against Miami in the playoffs, that could be considered the X-Factor?

5. Predicted score, Starting XI

HRB: Prediction time: Starting XI? Final score?

RU: I’m just going to pretend everyone is available and predict a full-strength lineup. There’s a 99% chance this is wrong. 3-1 NYCFC.