Match Preview: FC Cincinnati travel to The ATL for Eastern Conference clash
Damon Gumbert
A week following a 1-1 draw in Columbus that left more questions than answers about how good this FC Cincinnati team is, the club flies down to Atlanta for a second matchup against United—another team with big question marks.
FCC is currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference and third in the Supporter’s Shield race, with the possibility of leaping both Philadelphia and Vancouver with a win on Sunday. Atlanta on the other hand is sitting near the bottom, flirting with a Wooden Spoon race, and well out of the playoff chase as of Sunday. Both teams spent big in the off-season, with The FC bringing in Kevin Denkey and Evander and Atlanta bringing in Emannuel Latte Lath and Miguel Almiron, but have had significantly different results.
Almiron hasn’t been the player he was in his previous tenure in Atlanta. The Paraguayan has started all 13 matches for United this season but has only totaled three goals and one assist in that time. Latte Lath has similarly struggled, though his production is better than Almiron’s has been. The record-breaking signing has five goals and one assist in 12 starts for the club.
If we’re being completely honest about what’s going wrong in Atlanta, it’s not all on the offense. The club has given up 24 goals compared to their 14 goals scored. Comparatively, FC Cincinnati has scored 19 goals, only five more than Atlanta, but has given up only 15 goals, 11 less than Atlanta. Brad Guzan has only managed to keep one clean sheet, while Roman Celentano has kept five. Guzan’s save percentage sits at 68%, while Celentano has 73.2%. The Orange and Blue have four players who average over one block per 90, while Atlanta has none. As the cliche goes, defense wins championships.
Defense is actually what cost FC Cincinnati two points in the previous matchup between these two sides. The FC was struggling with injuries and Head Coach Pat Noonan decided to play Alvas Powell at center back for the match. Powell had a lot of great moments during the match, all of them could have been made at wingback instead of center back, but the biggest moment of the match was in the 88’ when Powell misplayed a ball while covering the far side of the net and scored an own goal that tied the match for Atlanta. Powell was visibly distraught after the match, having to be consoled by Nick Hagglund and others.
Powell has played at center-back multiple times and has had a few bad moments while at the position. Noonan has decided multiple times to play Powell at center back over the definitively better defender DeAndre Yedlin. Yedlin, a former USMNT standout, has excelled when playing center-back rather than wingback, while Powell has had the opposite effect.
Luckily, the center back room is fully healthy for Sunday night's match. Matt Miazga, who was still injured in the first match, has returned and is looking more and more like his old self. Miles Robinson is back from national team duty, Teenage Hadebe is back from injury, and Gilberto Flores, who served a one-match suspension after accruing a red card before the previous match, will also be available. Those four players will join Hagglund, who has been playing out of his mind this season, on the back line.
The offense will need to finish, something they have struggled with at times this season if they are to win the game. While Evander and Denkey have been having great years, their teammates Luca Orellano, Sergio Santos, and Yuya Kubo have all underwhelmed this season. Denkey currently has eight goals and Evander has seven, the next highest goal scorer on the team is Dado Valenzuela with two. The rest of the offense is going to have to start making some shots if this team is going to reach the pinnacle that they want.
The addition of Kei Kamara into the team could add that spark of offense. We’ll see if he’s able to break into the starting lineup next to Denkey, or if Noonan sticks with Santos going forward. Dado has also made a case for more playing time, whether that’s next to Evander as dueling 10s or up top with Denkey in a striker position. Orellano has been the most disappointing offensive weapon this season. The Argentinian signed a big extension in the winter and has yet to produce any goals since. It’s not for lack of trying, as Orellano has the third-highest shots per 90 on the team, only behind Dado and Evander.
While there are rumors that Cruz Azul is attempting to sign Orellano, nothing has been made official at this time. He will still be available for Sunday’s match and will likely be in the starting lineup.
The team that faced Atlanta in March is not the same team that will face them on Sunday. Evander and Denkey have had more time to work together, the defense is stronger and healthier, and the depth pieces have been able to step in and step up significantly. Arguably, Atlanta is a worse team now than they were then, they have seemingly not been able to find any chemistry between their attacking pieces the way FC Cincinnati has. Their defense hasn’t gotten better, and Guzan hasn’t gotten younger or faster.
It would be unsurprising if The FC and the fans were going in confident about this match. They shouldn’t be. Atlanta still has talented players that can turn it on at any point. The Orange and Blue didn’t look their best last week against Columbus, they were out-possessed 68% to 32%. There are leagues of difference between Columbus and Atlanta, but when one team can dominate another in the way that Columbus did Cincinnati in the second half of last week's game other clubs take notes. Hopefully, Noonan and his staff were also able to take notes and able to figure out how to fix the problems they had in that game.
Kickoff at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is set for 7:39 ET on MLS Season Pass and Apple TV+. You can also watch the game at any of the club's local Pub Partners, including Streetside Brewery.
