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After 88 minutes of what seemed destined to end in a draw, Atlanta United conceded an 89th minute goal to drop all three points at Rentschler Field Sunday night.
Lineups
Tonight’s match saw Marcelino Moreno, who made his Atlanta United debut against DC United, return to the match day squad. Ezequiel Barco also featured in the squad for the first time since Sept. 12.
#ATLUTD’s Starting XI vs Toronto FC. pic.twitter.com/XE5CM3Tlno
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) October 18, 2020
Ready to roll at The Rent
— Toronto FC (@TorontoFC) October 18, 2020
Tonight’s Starting XI vs. @ATLUTD#TORvATL | #TFCLive pic.twitter.com/0de3KgWSzI
Highlights
Alejandro Pozuelo nearly finished off a convincing Toronto move in the penalty area, but Brad Guzan said no in the 7th minute.
Toronto took a hopeful shot from outside the penalty area, but the real highlight here was Guzan’s expletives caught by microphones close to the field. Class.
Shortly after, Michael Bradley entered the game and replaced Jonathan Osorio, who picked up an injury.
brad guzan has no time for the federal communications commission and neither should you
— JSam Jones Is Lying To People About Being Numb (@J_SamJones) October 18, 2020
In the 26th minute, Jurgen Damm ran in behind Toronto’s backline and set up a teammate for what was Atlanta’s best chance at that point.
Guzan faced two shots around the 39th minute that he handled well to keep Atlanta and Toronto even at 0-0.
Then John Gallagher megged Laurent Ciman and that was fun.
Atlanta finished the half without a single shot on target while Toronto finished with four so, yeah.
Moreno and Barco both came in after the halftime break, replacing Emerson Hyndman and Jake Mulraney respectively. The substitutions also marked the first time since Aug. 29th that Atlanta has played with two (2) Designated Players at the same time, per Doug Roberson of the AJC.
first time since Aug. 29 that #ATLUTD has played with 2 Dps on the field.#MLS
— Doug Roberson (@DougRobersonAJC) October 19, 2020
Toronto’s Pozuelo unleashed a spectacular shot from the top of Atlanta’s penalty area around the 50th minute, but he wasn’t able to get it under the crossbar.
Substitute Cubo Torres nearly scored off a Brooks Lennon cross in the 66th minute, but Toronto goalkeeper Quentin Westberg pulled off an impressive save to maintain order.
Immediate impact @brookslennon ➡️ @erickestefano15 pic.twitter.com/Mz1T21hn2W
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) October 19, 2020
Then the goal happened. In the 89th minute.
#TFCLive strikes in the 89'
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) October 19, 2020
Pablo Piatti off the Richie Laryea feed to give @TorontoFC a late lead. #TORvATL pic.twitter.com/TFMaG5tMWn
Pain.
Takeaways
- That was extremely disappointing. Taking a point back to Atlanta from a team as good as Toronto (though they weren’t at full strength tonight) would have been a great result.
- Seeing Moreno and Barco both come on was refreshing. After a great deal of speculation about Barco’s injury and his future, that’s one less factor that the team has to worry about. Getting Moreno and Barco on the field together is the next step, I guess.
- Jurgen Damm showed what he can add to Atlanta’s game plan and was pretty solid in the first half.
- So, now Atlanta is outside the playoff spots. The team’s upcoming match against DC is going to be crucial seeing that
Man of the Match
I don’t know.
Tweet of the Match
full time idk man
— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) October 19, 2020
What’s Next?
Atlanta plays D.C United again this upcoming Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00.