Atlanta United can't press effectively and Tata Martino's game model is all out of whack because of it. I dug into a maddening performance that's a symptom of a major issue with this roster. open.substack.com/pub/fivestri...

Tata clearly needs one of these guys.

And a whole bunch of other things college staffs do give me 30 different people in polos working with each position in each phase of play. I want coaches in the building 20 hours a day.

I'm so SEC brained that I've genuinely thought teams should do this for years now

Tata you have 48 hours to respond

oh my god walt weiss made the tackle

Atlanta United were awful defensively in their loss to the Crew. It stemmed from a problem that might be this team's biggest issue. open.substack.com/pub/fivestri...

Atlanta United can't press effectively and Tata Martino's game model is all out of whack because of it. I dug into a maddening performance that's a symptom of a major issue with this roster. open.substack.com/pub/fivestri...

Columbus should have put 10 on these dudes.

3 thoughts on the Philadelphia Union being the worst team in MLS history www.fivestripefinal.com/p/3-thoughts...

Tata's comments on his red

The loudest boos I've ever heard for Atlanta United in MBS just now

fun fact, Atlanta United have lost to the Crew more than any other team

been talking about it a ton this year. there's a lack of quality and athleticism, especially in midfield. they can't solve problems against a press. then, when Atlanta has to bypass the press, they can't win aerial duels. and even when they do, the midfield is slow to second balls.

Which of the 0.29 expected goals Atlanta United has created in the last 135 minutes has been your favorite

pretty clear from the jump that Atlanta United is going to have a miserable time working through the Crew's press. They've had a ton of issues with breaking through against anyone doing any kind of man marking this year. Galarza helped with that, but obviously out of the lineup tonight

this is deeply unhinged and I worry about the author's well-being [complimentary]

yeah the Crew seem weird right now www.fivestripefinal.com/p/preview-at...

i mean what are they supposed to do there, be near that guy?

everyone reaching the end stages of watching a surprising false nine tactic. starts with everyone feeling like it looks better and thinking that they may have found the answer. ends with everyone realizing they could really use a striker out there

second time i've seen him in Atlanta and each time I start missing notable portions of the game while i just watch him move into space

ASA's database goes back to 2013. It has last night's ATL-DC xG total as the seventh lowest in 13 years.

The 17-year-old put in a shift worth paying attention to open.substack.com/pub/fivestri...

not bad at all open.substack.com/pub/fivestri...

enjoying an Atlanta United rewatch for the first time in a long time Galarza, Baez and Almiron were constantly interchanging on the left and causing a ton of problems. Then it's just basic as hell stuff like "pass and move" that we haven't seen in Atlanta in forever.

Cooper Sanchez, man. Lookit the kid find space and immediately know where he's going with the ball. Grew up very, very quickly in this game.

Total g+ and per 96

No one keeps Atlanta United from winning at home for 291 days

not quite ready to call it yet, but if the score holds, it's atlanta's first home win in 290 days

Make it three assists for Miguel today

amazing what a difference having folks who can actually cover ground in midfield makes by the way

like g+ isn't everything but these are the leaders among starters (small sample size) rn. it passes the eye test for me. Almiron has been pretty outstanding everywhere but the 18-yard box so f---OH HEY LOOK HE GOT AN ASSIST WHILE I WAS TYPING

look, i'm not trying to bring too much sunshine here, but I've watched a lot of Latte Lath and Almiron tape from the first few weeks and there's been a lot of good stuff from both that hasn't been rewarded. Atlanta missed that run in particular from LL multiple times last week. finally got it today

Per Tata, Juan Berrocal is questionable for tomorrow. Jay Fortune will play 45 minutes with the 2s this weekend.

Notes and film on: -Improved buildup -Not so improved defense -Galarza's debut -Other things open.substack.com/pub/fivestri...

not 100% awful raise the banner open.substack.com/pub/fivestri...

Hey. Me and Joe think these are pretty good.

yeah, Jones earned that one

Ok, team You've just won the ball in the opposing 1/3 Do you A. Take advantage of the opportunity to try and score B. Take advantage of the opportunity to have some chill rondo time with your dudes

hard not to think about all the decent young players they've sent away in exchange for GAM that they've turned into not decent old players who are also slow

Worth repeating again that Atlanta United just gets out-athleted all. the time. Just ignored (or misread) those kinds of traits too often in the scouting process.

On a super related note. Both of their center back signings they brought in to solve their defensive issues last summer are making more than $1 million a year.

We are 28 minutes into Atlanta United's home opener and the entire crowd is booing the home team.

Atlanta United is just so slow in midfield and at center back. Just agonizing trying to watch them recover in transition moments. And when you put numbers forward and hold a high line, it ain't gonna be too hard to rip them apart. It's not like they're gonna counterpress their way out of the problem

turf looks weird

Doug's new Atlanta United site is up and running. Go to there. soccerwithdoug.substack.com/subscribe

On rewatch, I didn't give enough credit to Hoyos for kicking the ball directly to San Jose and forcing everyone to scramble defensively.

i am 10 minutes into my Atlanta United rewatch and am relatively convinced it's the worst 10 minutes of soccer by any team ever

important to remember that the strongest cultural tie between Miami and Orlando is the film "Miami Connection," which takes place almost exclusively in Orlando.