MARIETTA, Ga. -- Are Atlanta United MLS Cup contenders or just flat-track bullies?
That’s the question up in the air after being thoroughly defeated 2-0 against their only competition for the Supporters’ Shield in the New York Red Bulls last Sunday.
Atlanta United’s record against teams currently with more than 50 points in the league standings is objectively poor, with only one win in seven matches. This is in stark contrast to the Red Bulls, who have excelled against teams in this range.
Ask "Tata" Martino about this, and he will tell you to look at the games on their individual merits instead of tying them into a narrative. Atlanta could’ve won at a couple of games in the set referenced above—specifically a 3-2 loss vs. FC Dallas (Atlanta conceded two goals in the last five minutes) and a 2-2 draw at home against NYCFC when Alexander Ring scored a Goal of the Year candidate late in the match. On the other side of the coin, Martino admits there have been times when Atlanta got points they didn’t deserve, such as Atlanta United’s draw at Yankee Stadium or the team’s home win against a 9-man Philadelphia Union team.
So, is Atlanta’s poor record a concern within the team?
“It's not. Not at all,” Atlanta United captain Michael Parkhurst said emphatically this week. “If New York beat up on everybody, they'd be way ahead of us in the standings. It doesn't matter which teams you beat and which teams you lose to — it's about the points. We've put ourselves in the best position. We think we can beat anybody in this league, and we have to go out there and prove it come playoff time."
Atlanta will look to bounce back from last weekend’s disappointing defeat this Saturday against the New England Revolution (3:30 pm ET | Univision, Twitter — Full TV & Streaming Info).
What might give Atlanta United fans more reason for concern than anything is that players told media ahead of the game that the match at Red Bull Arena would be a one of the biggest games of the season, and the team laid an egg.
“Playing against New York, you learn lessons when you lose—the intensity, the energy that you have to bring to the game,” veteran midfielder and defender Jeff Larentowicz told media this week. “The last five or six games have all felt like high-pressure atmospheres just because of what is on the line as we get closer to the end of the season and the Supporters' Shield race. I think the Salt Lake game had that pressure and intensity, New York as well, and this Saturday will be no different. It's good to have that experience as we roll into the playoffs.”
