Three thoughts on a fine Atlanta United win over LA Galaxy

Atlanta United continued their good work at home by taking care of business against a Zlatan Ibrahimovic-less Los Angeles Galaxy 3-0. Josef Martinez, Pity Martinez and Ezequiel Barco started alongside each other for the first time in three months and the Five Stripes enjoyed a very fine win in front of a record crowd. Here are few thoughts on a good win:

Walking The Line

Oh boy. Here we go. It’s me again, Mr. Rational. I’m here to try and be as honest as possible without raining on the parade. The 3-0 win over the Galaxy was very good. I’m happy. You’re happy. I’m not going to take anything away from that.

First of all, the attacking performance in the match was quite good. We saw some very good things in the fully stacked 3-5-2. Pity Martinez had some bright moments. Ezequiel Barco looked lively. Josef was Josef. Things are looking good on that front.

But here’s where we need to be honest. LA Galaxy beat themselves with two own goals and a penalty conceded. If those three things don’t happen, who knows how the game plays out. The stats show that Atlanta dominated play and the chances, so that’s the important thing. But let’s not get too high on the performance, especially since the team’s form at home is not what’s in question. Doing this away from Mercedes-Benz Stadium is what needs to happen for the excitement levels to be justified.

It’s okay to be happy and excited for a full-strength team. But we need to temper that excitement until the results start coming away from home a bit more. If that’s too harsh, I apologize. That’s how I see it from an unemotional standpoint. Feel free to leave mean comments, if you feel the need.

Miles Better

July was a very rough month for Miles Robinson. His form dipped significantly but credit to him for not wavering. He had a sensational performance in this one and was my Man of the Match. His 1 v 1 defending is unbelievably good. He’s the ultimate security blanket protecting this new vulnerable 3-5-2 shape. If not for him, I’m not sure this style of play would be feasible at all. Shout out to Florentin Pogba as well. He had another solid match. When he’s gotten a chance to play, he’s rarely put a foot wrong. What a great pickup he’s been.

You’re The Best

This never gets old. Another attendance record was broken, apparently. I don’t care about the numbers. I care that you guys keep showing up on a consistent basis. As soccer fan for almost 20 years now it makes me so damn proud to see this type of showing in America and in Georgia. It’s been beaten to death how Atlanta United changed the landscape of soccer in this region. There’s nothing new I can write to make the spotlight any brighter or better. Just know that it never gets old and I’m proud of every single one of you.