Atlanta United hit one last quick, intense training session Friday before its Leagues Cup match against Cruz Azul on Saturday. Under the hot July sun, the team prepared for arguably one of its most important matches of the year.
The 5-Stripes find themselves in a do-or-die situation after falling to Inter Miami CF in Leagues Cup play earlier in the week. If Atlanta United can secure a regulation win or win on penalties if the match ends in a draw, they will advance to the Round of 32. If they lose, they’re out of the tournament.
“We need to win, no matter what,” forward Giorgos Giakoumakis said on Friday. “We don’t have time to be sad, frustrated or angry about the last game. We have to look at our mistakes and focus mostly on the positive things and what we can improve to win the game and qualify.”
Giakoumakis and Atlanta head coach Gonzalo Pineda spoke with media after training about what they can take away from the loss at Miami and the mindset heading into Saturday.
Moving on from Miami
Atlanta didn’t get the result it was hoping for in its Leagues Cup debut Tuesday night. In his first start since joining Inter Miami, Lionel Messi scored a first-half brace and tallied an assist that left Atlanta chasing the game almost right out of the gate.
Atlanta conceded an early goal and gave up a few more that Pineda attributed to individual mistakes. He said they have to be cleaner, especially against opponents with quality players such as Messi.
“We have to be more solid defensively,” Pineda said. “We need to try to go back to the principles that we talk about all the time. That’s what we need to do better.”
Even with the scoreline, Pineda said there are things his team can take away from the match. The 5-Stripes had 13 crosses; Miami had none. Atlanta appeared to have the first goal in the second minute, but it was called offside. Fullback Brooks Lennon’s service into the box hit the post just minutes later.
Pineda and Giakoumakis cited multiple positives from that match that they can take and develop going into Saturday. Both said the biggest thing to work on is being more clinical, especially in the final third.
“We were there until the last third of the pitch, but the last pass, we were missing,” Giakoumakis said. “We’ll have to be more focused, more efficient and more technical in order to score some goals again and to find our confidence.”
All eyes on Saturday
Getting the win and regaining their confidence on Saturday will be crucial for the team in more ways than one. Earlier this year, Atlanta made its earliest exit in club history from another tournament, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Prior to Tuesday's loss to Inter Miami, Atlanta had lost two consecutive regular season matches against New England and Orlando City.
If the team were to lose Saturday, it would be two home losses in a row heading into the final 10 matches of the MLS season. The team has recognized this situation and wants to make the most out of being back in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“Our biggest advantage is that we will be playing in front of our fans,” Giakoumakis said. “We want to make them happy. We’re going to have this extra push from our fans, and hopefully, if we score fast, then it’s going to be an excellent advantage.”
Getting an early edge over Cruz Azul will be important for Atlanta. Cruz Azul looked strong against Miami last week; it had more shots, shots on target, corners, crosses and tackles won. Pineda said the team has watched film on Cruz Azul and used Friday’s training to work on tactics for the match.
The Liga MX team has yet to win a match in league play, and after losing to Miami in stoppage time last weekend, they will likely come out with equal aggression on Saturday to earn the second spot in the group.
“They will come to play until death, no matter what,” Giakoumakis said. “I will do the same. We don't focus on the other team. We just focus on our things and our mistakes. They will be 100%, and they will give everything, and that's what we'll do.”
Finding cohesion
After waiting for the approval of his visa, newly acquired midfielder Tristan Muyumba was cleared last weekend to play for Atlanta. He joined training with the rest of the team this week and was available for selection against Miami.
“The plan was him playing some minutes against Inter Miami,” Pineda said. “Due to the circumstances, I tried to rest a couple legs for this game. So, that’s why he didn’t play, but he was ready. The same applies for this (game). If I see it’s appropriate, he can see some minutes, for sure.”
A few weeks ago, Pineda stressed the importance of Muyumba’s integration into the team. After a few transfers during the summer window, Atlanta has been working to find some cohesion, especially in the midfield.
Injuries have also prevented the team from having consistency. Just as Giakoumakis returned from a hamstring injury, forward Machop Chol suffered an ankle injury that will leave him out for at least both group stage games of the tournament.
Defender Miles Robinson rejoined Atlanta’s starting lineup on Tuesday after being away on international duty for nearly a month. With his and Giakoumakis’ return, along with Muyumba’s availability, Atlanta can use Saturday as a starting point to build the cohesion for the rest of the tournament and the last stretch of the regular season.
“Whenever I feel like we are consistent in the lineups and the options that we have, I think the less likely we’re going to make mistakes,” Pineda said. “At times, the discoordination in the backline is because it’s a new backline or because we don’t have three, four players that we used to have… Now, we have to adjust to other guys, and that takes time.
“It’s not all on the players,” Pineda added. “We’re very happy with the players we have. It’s more about a consistent lineup, trying to have a system in place and repeat, repeat, repeat. And then, we’ll start to do better.”
