Atlanta United vs Austin FC
Austin FC Thumps Atlanta United 3-0
Atlanta Latinos Magazine– Atlanta United suffered a 3-0 loss to Austin FC on Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was the first ever match against the newest expansion club.
Austin FC, who is third in MLS in goals scored this year, wasted no time in getting on the scoreboard. In the 9th minute, Felipe scored on a header from a pass by Ethan Finlay. It was Felipe’s first goal of the season.
Austin FC added its second goal in the 17th minute. Finlay scored the goal unassisted.
Austin FC padded its lead early in the second half. Sebastian Driussi, who leads Austin FC in goals and is tied for second in MLS goals, came off the bench as a sub after halftime to notch his 11th of the season.
Atlanta struggled in all aspects of the game. Offensively, the team managed nineteen shots. However, only four were on target. The quality was not there in the final third.
Meanwhile, on the defensive side, the Atlanta backline was exposed several times, which led to a couple of easy goals. Injuries have decimated the defensive side, and the lack of continuity and cohesion due to those injuries has haunted the team throughout the season.
Atlanta United held a team meeting for over an hour after the game. In the postgame press conference, United’s manager Gonzalo Pineda apologized to the fans for the team’s poor performance. He said: “today’s performance was not acceptable. So I apologize. I take full credit for the loss, so it’s on me. And we will do better. I will make sure we do better next time”.
Atlanta has a quick turnaround, as they host Real Salt Lake on Wednesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Notes…Luiz de Araujo will miss Atlanta’s next match due to yellow card accumulation…Austin FC continued its hot streak, having now won four its last five…Austin FC maintains second place in the Western Conference…Atlanta United continues to struggle, having won only once in the last eight matches and maintaining 11th place in the Eastern Conference…Attendance was announced as 67,516.
