New York City FC will face Atlanta United FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday in a final match played before a two-week break for FIFA's September-October international window. To prepare for this first of two meetings between New York City and Atlanta across the season's final eight matches, New York Soccer Journal spoke with Rob Usry of Five Stripe Final. Here is your NYCFC vs Atlanta United preview.
• League Form: W-D-L-D-L
• Record: 7W, 5D, 14L | 26 points, 14th place
• Scoring Leader: Alexey Miranchuk, 6 goals
• Assist Leader: Alexey Miranchuk, 6 assists
1. Tata Martino: Doing all he can do
New York Soccer Journal: With Tata Martino back for a second stint as head coach, Atlanta United has been extremely inconsistent and sits 14th in the Eastern Conference with 26 points. What’s gone wrong for Atlanta this season?
Rob Usry: Perhaps it’s the nostalgia fueling my blind love for Tata, but I'm willing to put the majority of the blame for this season on the horrendous roster he inherited. Actually, I would say he’s done a pretty good job with the hand he was dealt. He's introduced some young players to the squad and somehow kept a mismatched roster with no dynamic pieces within striking distance of the playoffs while the front office tries to improve the team.
2. Designated Players have failed
NYSJ: Atlanta has offensive talent like Breel Embolo, Miguel Almirón, and Alexey Miranchuk — who won’t be available Saturday due to international duty — but has scored just 30 goals this season. Why isn’t the attack producing?
RU: This is the crux of it all, in my opinion. Atlanta can make all the roster changes and additions they want, but it's not going to cover up the huge Designated Player mistakes they've made in the past two years. Bringing Miguel Almirón back was a huge misstep. Not only have you brought back a player that is a shell of his former self, you've given him a massive contract that is utterly immovable anywhere in the world.
Stylistically, Almirón is also too similar to Miranchuk, who has been hit-or-miss since arriving at the club. Both players like to play in the same areas of the field and both are extremely left-foot dominant. It's a situation where they don’t seem to know how to play with each other and never will.
Embolo entering the mix has improved the overall quality of the attack. However, the lack of dynamism and chemistry around him is what needs to be addressed now.
