Thoughts from Atlanta United 2’s inaugural win

After Atlanta United 2’s terrific 3-1 win against New York Red Bulls II Saturday night, there are certainly a lot of random takeaways that can be had. Here are just a few main thoughts from what was a great night for Atlanta soccer.

Alec Kann hasn’t missed a step

It had been almost seven months since Kann’s last professional appearance, but no one would’ve known it last night. Although he wasn’t called upon often, the Decatur native came up big on a few occasions to stifle NYRB2 counters and keep them at bay.

Mikey Ambrose was good, but don’t expect to see him too often

Ambrose played well, recognized the space Jon Gallagher was being afforded on the left, and continued to connect with the Irishman throughout the night to start attacks.

However, once George Bello returns from U17 action in Dallas and Jose Hernandez comes back from injury, it’s hard to imagine Ambrose’s services will be needed with the reserve team. Bello and Hernandez have far more to gain from ATL UTD 2 than I think Ambrose does. He started simply because there were no other left backs available on either team other than Greg Garza and Chris McCann.

A.J. Cochran and Miles Robinson could be one of the better CB pairings in USL

Walls. Both of them. Their height nearly paid off on a couple of long corners as well. Oh my goodness. Long corners. This team is so different.

Jon Gallagher and Yosef Samuel already have a good working relationship

Gallagher showed why he deserved to be Atlanta’s first round pick in the 2018 SuperDraft. His skill and pace ruined the night of the opposing right back, and although his credited assist for Samuel’s goal is more than generous, Gallagher still forced his way through NYRB2’s defense throughout the night and contributed to all three goals.

Meanwhile, Samuel returned Gallagher’s earlier favor by whipping in an exceptional cross to complete Gallagher’s brace. Keep an eye out on these two.

Lagos Kunga needs time to develop and that’s OK

It was not a great night for the homegrown. Kunga rarely contributed to the attack and turned the ball over on a few occasions. That’s fine though. If he has to do that on any stage, let it be this one. That’s one of the reasons AU2 is really beneficial. Younger players can make mistakes against other professionals in a setting where the downside of those mistakes pale in comparison to the first team.

Let’s see how Kunga adjusts.

This wasn’t even their full lineup

George Bello, Brian Gambarte, and Chris Goslin will all make a strong case to start in the coming weeks once they return from academy and youth national team duties. The hype train continues.

What did you all think? Let us know in the comments.