Five Takes On The Five Stripes

The one where we have the goat and the boat

1: This started out looking like a game being played on short rest. Energy was low and it just looked sluggish. The schedule is brutal. You’re gonna have games like that. It’s unavoidable. So how valuable is it to have someone who can bang them in off free kicks and get your side up early? This is the Barco we paid for. This is the Barco that was hyped. This is the Barco we hoped for. Al is forgiven. Barcolazooooool!

 

2: Bello has got to calm down a little when he’s running at goal. He had a few clear cut opportunities that have to be goals. And then of course right as I was writing this take….he scores 😆. He was in the right spot and at exactly the right time for the tap in so that’s good and now hopefully the IQ and split decision making keeps progressing. His skill and and strength is not in question. 

 

3: Really not interested in hearing any more negative talk about Guz. He’s still got it. He’s quicker than you’d think. He reads the game well. For the most part he makes good choices. His distribution isn’t perfect but who’s is? He’s still a great shot stopper too. A Goalazo is a Goalazo and no keeper stops either of those goals from DC. 

 

4: We are taking our chances. This is one of the biggest differences with this club now and this club two months ago. We had been creating chances. We had SOG. We just couldn’t convert and now I half expect half the chances to end up into the net. What a difference a BBQ and some water can make. 

 

5: Araujo is a game breaker. A stat buffer. Coin it however you want. You felt the momentum and energy shift when he came on. No one has come out firing so quickly like he has. We have some players that are finally having their potential truly unlocked but no one has come so good so quickly. 

The one where our players have a steak in their celebrations

1: It was coming and today it happened. Luiz is a damn baller. Really happy to see him find the net today. He’s been so close so many times. I fully expect this to unlock a bevy of goals. He’s a technically gifted player who’s great on the ball, an excellent passer, he can dribble, he can shoot. I’d probably be better off listing the things he can’t do just for times sake. I can really see him becoming one of the leagues best players. 

 

2: Tonight we did something we normally struggle with, breaking down a back 5. We did that by trying some balls over the top and getting an early goal doesn’t hurt either. Cincinnati at this point can’t afford to drop any more points if they wanna play soccer in November so they had to come out of thier shell. That just left them even more exposed all night and we exploited the space they gave us. 

 

3: #ThatMyUnited. This is what we remember. This is what we want. We’re back. Actually I’d make the case that we been back since that W in Columbus. You know me, I don’t like to be hyperbolic, but i argue this isn’t just being back, this is better. Did we take a cue from the Biden PR team? It certainly appears so. 

 

4: It’s the boat show, it’s the Josef show, it’s the Araujo show…..still isn’t the Cubo show 😂 but damn, it’s all the shows. We posses so much attacking threat from so many different ways and from so many different players. I know Cincinnati is crap but keeping the opponent guessing is going to propel us into a good playoff spot. 

 

5: In addition to recent player acquisitions, looks like the FO finally got the coaching hire right and for all the criticisms we’ve laid at their feet (justifiably so) they deserve recognition here. Pineda in combination with Rob has instilled joy and belief into the squad. He’s getting the intangibles right. The engagement with the fans, the community, the social media content, al this stuff matters in this league and to this club. Happy footballers makes for quality play, and we gettin it. 

The one where Orlando has Nani, and nada

1: If/when Miles leaves, it’s George Campbell’s job. His progress has been really similar to Miles’ in fact. He’s developed, he’s had time with the 2’s, he’s taken his opportunities well with the first team and made the case for himself. He needed a big performance tonight and he was absolutely immense. The goal is just the cherry on top. 

 

2: Someone check the crest, since when does Atlanta United defend well against dead ball/set piece situations and then score off of them as well? I don’t care if it’s officially going down as an own goal, that ball in from Barco was beautiful and created the goal. Two weeks off and developing some cohesion and understanding amongst the players does wonders. 

 

3: The interchange in the midfield and quick transitions was so much better. Passing was clean, quick and crisp. More importantly it was meaningful. We created space with our movement off the ball and we looked threatening every time we went forward. 

 

4: So Moreno doesn’t get the call because he doesn’t go down because it’s not his style and he’s that strong. So Moreno doesn’t get the call when he does go down. I’m confused. It literally took him being sandwiched between two Orlando players in the 79th for him to get a call. PRO continues not to protect creative attacking top tier players in this league and it’s infuriating. Rivas was very inconsistent in his calls and the line for what constitutes a yellow was moving all night. 

 

5: I would make the case, that this was our best game of the season. I would also make the case that water is wet. This was a full team full 90 performance. 3 goals and a clean sheet  against a top conference team who had really had no serious chances all night is outstanding. We were threatening and creative in our attack. Tricks and flicks. Layoffs and overlapping runs. It was all on display tonight. Beautiful win. Important performance for the team and Pineda. We’re still on a really good run here. Gotta continue it on Wednesday. With Josef and Miles back in the lineup I feel very good, and you should too. 

 

 

 

 

The one where we move Four-ward

1: A one, a two, a one two three FOUR! The last two games may not have been the prettiest but we are finding ways. Moreno continues to be a key reason for us finding points. He broke out the Gorilla Glue on the goal tonight rooting the DC keeper to the spot. Couple that with an assist and chance creations. Moreno is a complete player and he’s our best signing since Miggy. 

 

2: Gressel created and solved a lot of problems. I miss having him here. I think Lennon is a technical upgrade in a lot of ways. His stamina and fitness is other worldly, but that connection between Gressel and Josef was special and it’s something that just hasn’t developed between Josef and Brooks as of yet. 

 

3: We need Josef to be arriving in the box, not standing there waiting for the ball. The ball from Moreno is exactly what Josef needs more of. Give him half a chance and more than half the time he’s gonna take care of business. It’s good to see him scoring but he’s still not at his most lethal just yet, but he’s trending in the right direction at just the right time. 

 

4: Araujo is a baller. He wants to make a splash right out the gate. He has no fear and he exudes confidence. Maybe a little too much at times. I’m looking forward to seeing what he will continue to provide and it’s been very good so far. The ball he delivered to Josef should’ve been finished. Still, maybe he could take a few less shots from 25 yards out?

 

5: George Campbell put in a great short shift tonight. He lost his mark on one set piece that thankfully wasn’t converted, but every other time he was called on, he answered. He’s coming along in a big big way. 

The one where the south might have something to say

1: Hell of a good day for the unity kit. Something is happening here. The play is coming together. There’s an understanding and UNITY amongst the squad. The movement on and off the ball is so good. Everybody looks like they are on the same page. Hell they look they are on the same damn sentence. The schedule continues to be packed, but the opponents we face with a long string of home matches sets us up very well to have something to say this season after all. I think Rob Valentino deserves a ton of credit for getting things turned around and set up well for when Pineda steps in. 

 

2: The play out of the back was soooooo good today. A couple nervey moments but all around, cool, calm, and confident. We controlled the play for the overwhelming majority of the match and limited LAFC to the occasional counter attack and set piece opportunity. Walkes did a fantastic job taking Vela out of the game. 

 

3: Speaking of set pieces, our defending against them was much improved today. The clearances were really good. We didn’t just clear balls. So often we actually just played a good ball out and immediately went forward. 

 

4: Josef loves going out on his boat and he went sailing again today. This is the Barco we all want to see. His work rate and his effort has never been in question. His consistency and decision making has, and that’s really come good since his return from the Olympics. If he can continue to play like this for the remainder of the season, moving him on should be no problem. He may even give the club something to think about. 

 

5: Rosetto and Miles get my vote for men of the match. How much more at ease do we all feel with Miles on the backline? It allows us to play out of the back like we did so well today. Rossetto has been a big part of that too. I lost count of how many times he won the ball and neutralized a counter attack. It just feels like so many players are having their true potential unlocked. We can only hope the transition over to Pineda is smooth. With Rob staying on and Pineda’s full recognition of how important he has been, I think it will be. 

The one where all we do is win....every 3 months.

1: Barco out there making my takes look like crap. Hey I love being wrong. I will say that this does fit his profile perfectly. He’s hot and cold. More often cold but I’ll take the hot version right now. Also full credit to Barco for letting Moreno take the 2nd PK.  He would certainly be within his rights to go for the hat trick. So, well done Barco, my only concern is that so often we see the boat catch fire, burn too hot and too fast and immediately sink. I hope that doesn’t happen over this next long stretch of home matches. 

 

2: Having Miles back has had a tremendous impact. The attack had been starting to click but then we started leaking goals. Miles presence helped shore up the defense, at least in open play. 

 

3: Are we trying to set a record for goals conceded from set pieces? We could actually learn a thing or three from how Columbus defends set pieces. If Nagbe hadn’t been on the back post off of one of our corner kicks, Hernandez scores. Honestly if that kick had been taken against us, I think we look at that ball rippling the net. Also…..I think Kann saves that, and maybe the penalty. I do like Kann over Guz just in terms of shot stopping ability. Guz did have a good stop on the free kick in the 40th that was just outside the box, so that may be a little harsh. 

 

4: Something that really stood out in this match was how often we kept the play alive. Positioning was better to win second balls, and deflected/saved shots so we could have a 2nd and even 3rd bite at the Apple. Too often an attack has developed, it falls apart and then it comes back the other way. We were much better at winning the ball back in the attacking 3rd. 

 

5: Almironeno. Marcelino is balling out. He’s playing with freedom, joy and confidence. His work rate is tremendous. He’s connecting the play. He’s taking shots. He’s converting penalties. Boy it’s taken a minute but is he ever coming good. What a time to turn it on too. The chase is on. 

The one where it is not neck and neck

1: I think the Sosa hype train may have mad too many passengers. He hasn’t looked great lately and he looked shaky again tonight with missed passes, miss timed tackles and just bad positioning off the ball. Very little impact on the game. 

 

2: We need a boat sale. Fleeting moments of individual brilliance and the occasional good ball in is not enough. How many times has Barco killed a counter? The ball turns over, he’s got options on the wing to get he ball forward and he opts to cut inside, have no where to go and is forced to drop it back. He holds on to the ball far too long when he needs to be releasing it and springing the attack. 

 

3: I think we’ve seen a lot from George Campbell. I love to see a player trying to win a job. He’s aggressive and for unexpected position he’s been in, I think he’s shown a lot of confidence and ability. Under Miles’ tutelage, he may really develop into an important piece of our defense past the Miles era. 

 

4: Our set piece defending is nothing short of embarrassing. 

 

5: I don’t know what to say. I mean, we finally started to get the ball to Josef in dangerous places, and even with some good service and then there’s a double red. IMO the red is crap. Josef had hands on his throat and your damn right he knocked them away. I guess he lead with his head but that’s really harsh. He reacted, not retaliated. At least for me. Nonetheless Murphy’s law continues to hold true for us. If there’s potential for something to go wrong, it most certainly will. Now we have another tough road match on short rest, without Josef. The club might try to appeal Josef’s red but I doubt they’ll win it because of the kind of red it is. 

The one where father has spoken, and the kids don't care

1: it’s been a long time since Daddy’s visited his children and so it’s only fitting he bring them a gift in the form of a Goalazo. It was great to see Josef bag one, and even better to see him do it like that and EVEN EVEN better to see him do it against Orlando. That being said, it’s concerning to see him totally spent at the end of the match both physically and emotionally. It almost looked like he too was acknowledging where we are and how unlikely reaching the post season is becoming. 

 

2: I’m ok with taking risks going forward. I want it see it but, it has to result in chances. Apart from Josef’s and Moreno’s Goalazos, chance creation was not there in the first half. Pretty disappointing considering our last two games have had our highest chance creation. Yet somehow we score 2 tonight. 🤷‍♂️ 

 

3: Alec Kann is a tremendous shot stopper despite seeing 3 go into his net. It could’ve been double that. Look, I love Guz but do we really want him in between the sticks after not playing for a month? Do we really want to take Kann out of this rhythm? He’s been here for all the turmoil, the changes…..I personally would like to see Kann stay, at least for now. 

 

4: We still don’t do jack with corner kicks. We try training ground stuff 9/10 times and it comes to nothing 9/10 times. And we continue to get undone by them. Regularly. Routinely. 

 

5: We are an incomplete team. Both literally and metaphorically. It’s nice to see More o being more of that playmaker 10 and he does seem to be trusting himself more and more, trying stuff he wasn’t just a month ago. However, we just have too many injuries to too many key players. We can’t put together a full 90 minute performance on either side of the ball. It’s just not there for us this year. We’ll still be here. Our support will not waiver but I don’t see us playing much soccer in the Fall even with a new coach bump or a big money signing. 

The one where we have to ketchup with no Heinze

1: Well I dare say that is the most consistent and threatening we have looked all season. We certainly haven’t created that many quality chances since……Philadelphia? I felt like we were finally a threat that had to be taken seriously at all times. A lot of that has to do with……

2: Marcelino Moreno was TREMENDOUS and gets my vote for MOTM. Shades of Miggy out there. He was running at Cincy’s back line, shooting on goal and dribbling past defenders for fun. That man is more nimble with a ball at his feet than I am without and that was on full display tonight. 

3: You know what pairs well with first starts? First goals. How about Ronald Hernandez getting on the pitch and putting one in. It was a wonderfully worked team goal which we haven’t seen in a REALLY long time. On the whole tonight, passing was better and we possessed the ball with menace and real attacking purpose. It looked like Hernandez took a knock at the end. Hopefully it’s nothing serious. We can’t take any more injuries. 

4: Kann is a great shot stopper. Even his backside saves goals 😆. As great as he is at keeping the balls out of the net he is terrible with his feet. Please Mr Kann, in the future, please don’t rely on your touch to outsmart an onrushing attacker. 

5: A draw is probably a fair result given the number of chances and some sheer luck that both sides had tonight. It’s a result and performance that can give fans hope and the team confidence. The sky is not falling. We still have it all to play for and let’s also keep in mind that this is FAR from a full strength roster. If we can put in another performance of this caliber on Saturday (big ask with match compression) with the players currently on hand, it bodes well for when everyone is back and god willing, healthy. 

The one where we are the A, that's going south.

1: Credit where credit is due. Cubo shot the ball, at the goal, with his foot and with his head. In all seriousness, despite not scoring, probably his best game so far. He had a number of shots on goal but converting chances is what matters and as per usual it ain’t happening. However you wanna look at it, his performance today will only reinforce Heinze’s decisions to keep starting him. Coupled with the fact that Jackson provided nothing when he was subbed on. Tho in Jackson’s defense, its real hard to get on the end of nothing. 

 

2: Pretty decent response after going down a goal in the first. Eve tho the goal was chalked off for offside, it was a nice move and would’ve been a very good goal. Overall, I was surprisingly pleased with the number of chances that we created in the first half. I did not see a team had thrown in the towel. I did in the 2nd. 

 

3: Machop Chol was out there chopping it up putting in a tremendous shift. He’s looked like our most consistently threatening player. He’s got an instinct for goals and positions himself well off the ball. He was just spent towards the end. 

 

4: The 2nd half looked like GA did two months ago, out of gas. We don’t have the quality, experience and strength to overcome adversity. We have lost every match when conceding first. I don’t know how that gets fixed right now. 

 

5: Josef. Heinze. Club. This is complicated. There’s a ton of views on it. A lot of opinions. Bunch of people up in their feelings. I’m one of them. To hear a deeper and totally rational dive into all of this drama, listen to the pod.