Atlanta United (13-8-7) will be looking to stretch their home unbeaten streak to eleven matches this weekend as the Montreal Impact (11-12-6) visit Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It’s a match with major playoff implications with the Canadian club currently sitting just below the red line and Atlanta still looking to clinch their spot. For points but also for pride, the Five Stripes will be looking for revenge after a late loss in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s matchup, we broke down the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot:
1) Prepare for Piatti
Argentine forward Ignacio Piatti has been one of the premier forwards in MLS for several years now, equally adept at scoring and assisting other teammates in the final third. Piatti was one of the hottest players in the league in August with goals in five straight games to claw Montreal back into the playoff hunt. In Montreal’s four-game losing streak in September, Piatta scored only once, but his two-goal performance last week broke Toronto’s season-long home unbeaten run in one of the surprise results of the weekend. It’s clear: stopping Piatti goes a huge way toward stopping the Impact. Atlanta United did well to shut out some dangerous attacking players against the Galaxy on Wednesday, but things won’t be any easier against the man they call “Nacho” on Sunday.
2) Disrupt Dzemaili
Piatti has been able to push a little higher up the field much in thanks to a key addition in Montreal’s midfield this year: Swiss international Blerim Dzemaili. Dzemaili has added a bit of European class to the Montreal midfield, with composure on the ball, creative passing and a vicious long-distance shot. Despite joining the club two months into the season, Dzemaili leads his team with ten assists so far this season, ranking eighth in the league in that category. Atlanta will have to make sure not to play just to his passing, though. If the Swiss midfielder gets a yard of space, he can be a lethal finisher from outside the area.
3) Early Goal Energy
Atlanta has started quickly in matches all year long, but that early blitz of high pressure has been especially effective at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In all of their three wins so far inside their new home, Atlanta scored in the opening fifteen minutes. That prompt goal gets that raucous red, black and gold crowd electrified to push the team on, and has forced packed defenses to come out of their shell much earlier than expected. Gaining a big first-half lead has been crucial in their three wins of this September home stand, as the players have been able to get key mental rest in the second half of matches with the result already decided. With the load of games not slowing down just yet, gaining a comfortable advantage would be welcome for the team once again.
How to follow
Tickets to the match are still available and can be purchased here. If you can’t attend, you can catch all the action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sunday at 5:00 p.m. EST, with the match nationally broadcast on FOX, Fox Deportes or via Fox Sports GO. Click here for all details on how to follow the match.
