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 Saturday. Here is your NYCFC vs Atlanta United preview.
1. Optimism is building
Hudson River Blue: Atlanta has started the season somewhat inconsistently, but it is coming off a 3-0 win over the Chicago Fire. After falling to Columbus in the first round of the playoffs, what are the club’s expectations this season?
Rob Usry: The early record is a bit misleading. One of the losses came against Columbus away from home to open the season. A valiant effort that fell short. The other loss occurred with the starting lineup ravaged by the international window. Overall, I’d say Atlanta fans are very pleased with the way the season has started. The optimism has been building since last summer with the roster being steadily improved upon. This has raised the bar for the minimum expectations for this season. Anything worse than a top-four finish in the East and home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs would be a massive disappointment for the club and its fans.
2. Poor road record
HRB: Atlanta has struggled to play on the road against NYCFC, with its last win dating back to 2018. For the first time, the game will take place at Citi Field instead of Yankee Stadium. How will Atlanta look to fix its poor road record against New York City?
RU: We all know how tough it is for opposing teams to play at Yankee Stadium and Atlanta United certainly had their nightmares there in recent times. While they’ve never played at Citi Field, it’s hard to imagine it being much of a difference. Unfortunately for the Five Stripes, it hasn’t really mattered what venue the match takes place in, they have just been downright bad away from home.
The club has done a lot of work in bringing in more MLS-experienced players and Gonzalo Pineda has worked on more pragmatic tactics at times. It’s matches like this that Atlanta must find a way to get a result out of if they want to return to the elite levels they reached in 2018 and 2019. This match will be the true test of how all the changes have affected their away form.
3. Life after Miles Robinson
HRB: Giorgos Giakoumakis leads the team with five goals, while Thiago Almada has two goals and one assist. The attack is strong, but with the loss of Miles Robinson, how has the defense been able to adjust?
RU: It’s funny. You would think that losing a two-time MLS Best XI center-back would cause massive problems for a team’s backline. But the club did an amazing job in the transfer window to revamp the defense and the moves are paying huge dividends early on. Stian Gregersen was the big signing to replace Miles and did a great job before picking up a knee injury that will keep him out for about a month. But the most impressive addition has been journeyman Derrick Williams. He has shockingly slid into the starting lineup and hasn’t looked back. He’s been an invaluable asset to the team with his composure and intelligence. If not for his emergence as a vital cog, who knows what this team’s defense would look like right now.
4. The X-Factor: The Midfield
HRB: What’s the X-factor that could decide this game?
RU: For Atlanta, it has to be the midfield. The front office focused heavily on bringing in dynamic midfielders to help control matches better. If Muyumba and Slisz can find a way to dominate the middle of the park like they do at home, then the away results will start to come. Their first test in Columbus didn’t go well. With all due respect to NYCFC’s midfield, this is a much fairer test to see how they stack up.
5. Predicted score, Starting XI
HRB: Prediction time: Prediction time: Starting XI? Final score?
RU: Lineup prediction: If Giakoumakis is unavailable because of a possible injury, look for Jamal Thiaré.
Score prediction: 1-1
