Four positive thoughts on Atlanta United’s 1-1 draw with Orlando City

Atlanta United grabbed an unexpected point on the road against Orlando City on Saturday night after Adam Jahn won a jumping contest in second half stoppage time. The 1-1 draw with the Lions acted as great fodder to make fun of Orlando like old times. I may have enjoyed zero percent of the match but I understand if you are excited about the end result. So, I’m not going to rain on your parade. I’ll be focusing on some of the bright spots of the night as we all know the bad and have talked about them over and over and over again to the point of exhaustion.

• First and foremost, the energy and fight shown by every Five Stripes player who stepped on the field in this match must be commended. After the first half was as dreadful as we’ve seen all season, no one sulked or gave up. Whether it was George Bello, Franco Escobar or Emerson Hyndman making goal-saving, last ditch plays or Jeff Larentowicz gutting out a 90-minute shift, the spirit was never lost despite how grim things may have seemed.
• Every team gets undeserved results. It’s a fact of the sport. One positive to perhaps consider is that this team waited until after the MLS is Back tournament and Frank de Boer’s departure to start getting theirs. Imagine how infuriating a result like this would’ve been if the long-term outlook wasn’t so blank and free as it is now. This may be a weird way to look at it, but it makes sense in my mind.
• One more positive is Jurgen Damm. It’s hard to explain, but Damm just adds something different that this team sorely lacks. His dynamism potential in the final third is there for all to see. His pace is electric and while he’s yet to really be a threat around the 18-yard box, he’s clearly been dangerous on the right flank. He’s a handful any time he comes on the field. Once he gets fully match fit he should add a nice dimension to a very flat attack.
• Yeah, so that’s about all I have for this one. I do apologize if it comes off as miserable. I tried to not rush into this because I knew it would come off a grumpy and negative. I love this team, but this still isn’t it despite whatever the end result may be. I just want to have fun watching them play again. Sorry for the Dear Diary entry here too. Blah. See you on Wednesday.