Dirty South Soccer - Atlanta United at Montreal Impact: Preview, News, Lineups, HighlightsYour best source for Atlanta United news, analysis, rumors, and banter.2017-04-18T14:15:01-04:00http://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/rss/stream/150448512017-04-18T14:15:01-04:002017-04-18T14:15:01-04:00MLS Instant Replay show believes Atlanta United got raw deal vs Montreal Impact
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<img alt="MLS: Atlanta United FC at Montreal Impact" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Lw2hqgPqnGhXhTDgf0ZD5cR_SYc=/0x11:2409x1617/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54320511/usa_today_10013782.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Atlanta stumble in Montreal, but unlucky in the process.</p> <p id="pb6m2B">Controversy was everywhere in Montreal on Saturday as <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a> were beaten 2-1 by the <a href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/">Montreal Impact</a> thanks to a late goal from <span>Anthony Jackson-Hamel</span>. While the late goal can’t be argued, there were numerous decisions prior to the goal that can be.</p>
<p id="tbVSU6">Atlanta took the lead through <span>Kenwyne Jones</span> in the 40th minute but the game changed on the stroke of half time as Leandro Gonzalez-Pirez was judged to have fouled <span>Matteo Mancosu</span> in the penalty area. A penalty was awarded to Montreal, which <span>Ignacio Piatti</span> scored to level the game.</p>
<p id="LB1tYr">Simon Borg of <a href="http://mlssoccer.com">mlssoccer.com</a> addressed the incident in his weekly Instant Replay show, which discusses controversial refereeing decisions from the weekend. Borg claimed that while it was a correct decision to award the penalty, referee Alan Kelly should not have shown Gonzalez-Pirez a red card because the defender was making a play on the ball. </p>
<div id="rXZnG3"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.2493%;"><iframe src="https://player.ooyala.com/tframe.html?platform=html5-priority&embedCode=93dGx0YTE6qwB9YVpzsh43Jb4Yl0eiw2&keepEmbedCode=true&pbid=2d940881487848159b3b99a3ae8125b9" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
<p id="l0llB2">In addition, Borg went on to highlight two incidents that he felt warranted red cards for the Montreal Impact. The first came in the opening stages of the game as <span>Miguel Almiron</span> was chopped down from behind by Victor Cabrera. Cabrera was shown a yellow but Simon Borg argued the tackle endangered the safety of Almiron and it could’ve easily been a red card.</p>
<p id="UCGttp">The final incident came with 15 minutes to go as Ambroise Oyongo seemed to strike <span>Kevin Kratz</span> in the face. Oyongo’s arms seemed to be out of control as his right arm swung back and hit Kratz, but the referee opted not to act on the incident.</p>
<p id="rJjunW">The defeat will sting for Atlanta as they look back on this game and see these incidents as ones that could’ve been treated differently on another day. </p>
<p id="2sqcnU">The three incidents were all controversial, some more than others, but Borg provides an interesting look at the refereeing from Saturday’s defeat to Montreal. Do you agree with Simon Borg’s comments?</p>
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/18/15342988/mls-instant-replay-atlanta-united-montreal-impact-red-card-leandro-gonzalez-pirezHarryCFC_2017-04-17T08:05:01-04:002017-04-17T08:05:01-04:00Examining LGP’s red card vs. Montreal Impact
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<img alt="MLS: Atlanta United FC at Toronto FC" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rZJtTFI1RBZv88z6VVRJ6MR1eNY=/0x0:3423x2282/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54285787/usa_today_10001891.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>So, what is this DOGSO deal?</p> <p id="GIZmNE">When I first thought of suggesting a regular Dirty South Soccer column on significant decisions affecting <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a> games, I never imagined I would have to deal with two red cards in the first two weeks. Ah well. Such is life in MLS, I guess.</p>
<p id="IWpYb2">On top of that, I commented on a post earlier this week that we were getting Alan Kelly for the Montreal game and that I thought he was one of the better referees working MLS games. I didn’t think I was going to have to defend him. But defend him I will, because he got this one right. Not only that, but this is one of the tougher rules to apply correctly.</p>
<p id="YT6Scb">Ask the typical soccer fan what the most confusing rule in the game is, and 9 times out of 10 you will get the answer “offside”. If that tenth person is a referee, however, you may well get the answer “denial of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity” (well, he will probably say “DOGSO”, because the full name is a ridiculous mouthful). Offside is indeed confusing enough with all the factors referees have to consider; DOGSO actually has more factors to take into account. Additionally, it is much more rarely called, because game situations do not call for it often and so referees get less practice in applying it.</p>
<p id="lxdkSw">It is therefore interesting that in 6 ATLUTD games, DOGSO has been called twice. The other call was the red card shown to <span>Johan Kappelhof</span> of Chicago. Fire fans griped a lot about that call, but it was also quite correct.</p>
<p id="VKbW6U">Adding to the potential confusion, for the 2016-17 season, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), the entity responsible for reviewing and updating the Laws of the Game, decided to make a major revamping of the Laws. This included rewriting the Laws to make them more easily understandable, and to remove some of the sillier rules (such as, most obviously, requiring a kick-off to move forward). This was quite a radical thing for IFAB to do, because its members include representative of the four British Football Associations, which as any Brit such as myself can tell you are a notoriously conservative group highly resistant to change. Which is also why England has managed to achieve precisely nothing in the past 50 years. Excuse me; I digress.</p>
<p id="9joOXk">Most of the changes did in fact achieve that objective. DOGSO is an exception, and intentionally so. Previously, any DOGSO offense was an automatic red card. IFAB opined that for DOGSOs in the penalty area, this was unduly harsh. A penalty and a sending-off seemed like a double-whammy for an offense that under other circumstances might not even deserve a caution. A very reasonable conclusion. But it made life harder for referees, and likely for players as well.</p>
<p id="2z8bpE">So what were two classes of DOGSO became three. These are:</p>
<ul>
<li id="HDRVNj">DOGSO by handball. This is basically a save by any player other than the goalkeeper. Under all circumstances, this results in a red card. Depending on where it occurred, the award to the attacking team is a penalty kick or a direct free kick. DOGSOH is almost never called outside the box, for the obvious reason that it is very hard to judge at that distance if a goal was likely.</li>
<li id="6MVOpU">DOGSO by other means outside the penalty area. This results in a direct free kick and a red card. These are also fairly rare.</li>
<li id="gmZUxR">DOGSO by other means inside the penalty area. This results in a penalty kick and a yellow card, <em>except under specific circumstances</em>.</li>
</ul>
<p id="tOAUA8">The DOGSO committed by Kappelhof was of the second class; Gonzalez Pirez’ was of the third. (By the way, since his initials are GP, can we call him the Doctor?)</p>
<p id="WsDhwo">DOGSOH is pretty easy to call, and in the Laws consists of a single sentence. It’s the other two which cause problems. The big problem is the word <em>obvious</em>. That sounds like the call is heavily dependent of the judgment of the ref. Not so. Much like with handballs, there are certain criteria a referee is required to consider, and these are spelled out in the Laws. Refs know these as the “Four Ds”: distance to goal, distance to ball, defenders and direction. All of these involve a fair degree of flexibility depending on the actual game situation. But the ref has to assess all four criteria when calling a DOGSO. Let’s look at the GP situation:</p>
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<p id="rlqT7L">In this case, the contact is close to the top of the penalty area, the only defender in front of the ball is goalkeeper <span>Alec Kann</span>, the ball is clearly in a position where Montreal’s Mancosu can easily gain control of it if he is not fouled (actual control is not required), and he is clearly headed in the <em>general</em> direction of the goal (an attacker does not have to be going straight towards goal for a DOGSO to be called). In this case, if a foul was committed, it appears to meet the criteria for a DOGSO.</p>
<p id="5E0i4C">Was a foul committed? I have to say it was. GP had very little chance to play the ball other than by going through Mancosu. I have seen comments that this was a 50/50 ball; I don’t think so. Mancosu clearly had the better position relative to the ball. I have also seen comments that Kelly was calling fouls inconsistently. Well, consider this situation that happened just 70 seconds earlier:</p>
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<p id="GfyHI8">Mancosu was involved in this play too, except he was the guilty party, knocking <span>Michael Parkhurst</span> off the ball. The plays look very similar to me.</p>
<p id="tFjmWS">The final matter, then: was the DOGSO deserving of a yellow or a red card? The circumstances under which a red must be shown are as follows:</p>
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<p id="q8q3wR">The offence is holding, pulling or pushing or</p>
<p id="Xi95cy">The offending player does not attempt to play the ball or there is no possibility for the player making the challenge to play the ball or</p>
<p id="Xq5dLM">The offence is one which is punishable by a red card wherever it occurs on the field of play (e.g. serious foul play, violent conduct etc.)</p>
</blockquote>
<p id="4Qb7hZ">That’s a direct quote from the Laws of the Game. Well, I think either of the first two conditions applies here. I already said GP had little chance to play the ball, but even if he did, he surely pushed Mancuso.</p>
<p id="kMV5oz">So, bad news, I’m afraid. This was a correct call.</p>
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/17/15320834/leandro-gonzalez-pirez-red-card-montreal-impact-dogsoJohn K. Fuller2017-04-16T12:54:49-04:002017-04-16T12:54:49-04:00MTL 2-1 ATL: Final Player Ratings
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<img alt="MLS: Atlanta United FC at Montreal Impact" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bKKvXdBIFyNXv1K_3aip9mbLlh4=/0x100:3517x2445/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54283597/usa_today_10013731.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Your votes are in. </p> <p id="M0XeWn">Waking up in a dark, cold room this morning I didn’t want to roll out of bed. I didn’t want to eat. I didn’t want to open my computer and look at words. The progression of depression stages is still going strong and I’m not sure acceptance is ever arriving. </p>
<p id="6B7aav"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a>’s loss to the <a href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/">Montreal Impact</a> on Saturday afternoon was a gut-punch and a welcome to the reality of Major League Soccer. The team played well. The team did not deserve to lose. The team lost in heart-breaking fashion. Such is life in the world of soccer sometimes. </p>
<p id="ZxsCYO">Bad refereeing decisions happen to every team throughout the course of a season. I’m not sure how common it is, that they occur in back-to-back weeks to rob the same team of points twice. But, I digress. </p>
<p id="mlRTav">Here’s the final player ratings from your community poll: </p>
<p id="2WOEeZ">GK: <span>Alec Kann</span> - 7.3</p>
<p id="7m8iJQ">RB: <span>Mark Bloom</span> - 6.4</p>
<p id="x8sQrE">CB: <span>Michael Parkhurst</span> - 6.9</p>
<p id="aPygco">CB: <span>Leandro Gonzalez Pirez</span> - 6.4</p>
<p id="PVLdG8">LB: <span>Greg Garza</span> - 7.4</p>
<p id="B4kzaa">CM: <span>Jeff Larentowicz</span> - 6.5</p>
<p id="f0sn5H">CM: <span>Carlos Carmona</span> - 7.0</p>
<p id="5iQ2bc">CAM: <span>Julian Gressel</span> - 5.8</p>
<p id="oTZVI6">RW: <span>Tito Villalba</span> - 6.3</p>
<p id="EMEbeG">ST: <span>Kenwyne Jones</span> - 7.4</p>
<p id="ywn2VY">LW: <span>Miguel Almiron</span> - 8.3</p>
<p id="XG1bcq">SUB: <span>Anton Walkes</span> - 6.3</p>
<p id="qlkUs2">SUB: <span>Kevin Kratz</span> - 5.8</p>
<p id="1OnvMo">SUB: <span>Chris McCann</span> - NR </p>
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/16/15319356/montreal-impact-2-1-atlanta-united-final-player-ratingsRob Usry2017-04-15T20:29:56-04:002017-04-15T20:29:56-04:00Referee Alan Kelly explains Gonzalez Pirez red card decision
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<figcaption>ATLANTA UNITED</figcaption>
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<p>Hmmm.... </p> <p id="xqrymZ"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a> appeared to be in great position to pull out three points in Montreal on Saturday. Up a goal and playing well heading into halftime, the Five Stripes were doing what was necessary to get a result despite missing several key members of their dynamic attacking quartet. That all came to a grinding halt in the third minute of first half stoppage time when <span>Leandro Gonzalez Pirez</span> was deemed to have fouled <span>Matteo Mancosu</span> in the box to deny an ‘obvious goal scoring opportunity’. </p>
<p id="dTCXVa">A penalty was awarded to Les Bleus for the incident and Atlanta’s all-important Argentinian defender was shown the club’s third red card in 5 <sup>1</sup>⁄<sub>2</sub> games played this season. Even more so than Yamil Asad’s “elbowing” incident last weekend in Toronto, this decision was clouded in controversy. </p>
<p id="cssb6m">Here’s a look at the incident: </p>
<div id="AxAhpA">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Here's the call on LGP. Seems very harsh. <a href="https://t.co/HAu1s3OUJk">pic.twitter.com/HAu1s3OUJk</a></p>— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) <a href="https://twitter.com/DirtySouthSoc/status/853307904526602240">April 15, 2017</a>
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<p id="2B4na0">Here’s Kelly’s official explanation as provided by Atlanta United’s official quote sheet:</p>
<blockquote><p id="oGUhRZ">“The red card was given for denying an obvious goal-scoring opportunity. I saw an upper body foul in the penalty area, with no genuine attempt to play the ball.”</p></blockquote>
<p id="IdkgXg">Opinions have varied on the play. Some claim it was a foul but not a penalty. Some say it a clear DOGSO situation and Kelly was justified in both of his decisions. And others, like Atlanta United’s color commentator <span>Dan Gargan</span>, say it’s just two players fairly going for the ball. </p>
<p id="HNBtLh">We’ll have our resident refereeing expert John Fuller break down the call next week, but for now what’s your take? After seeing the replay and Kelly’s explanation, what should have been done? </p>
<div id="Jq4Mtz"><div data-anthem-component="poll:404058"></div></div>
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/15/15316134/referee-alan-kelly-gonzalez-pirez-red-card-decisionRob Usry2017-04-15T15:07:05-04:002017-04-15T15:07:05-04:00MTL 2-1 ATL: React & Rate
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<img alt="MLS: Atlanta United FC at Montreal Impact" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2kzLv74f1axmayLsH9LeL_kk7gc=/0x0:2808x1872/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54275587/usa_today_10013480.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>You react, you rate.</p> <p id="irmfV0"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a> have tasted defeat for the first time in five matches today against the Montreal Impact. A bright start in the form of Kenwyne Jones’ first goal for the club was canceled out by a controversial penalty/red call decision against Leandro Gonzalez Pirez. Atlanta fought hard to gain a point, but a very unlucky goal in second half stoppage time sealed their fate. Just a unfortunate way to lose. </p>
<p id="cPHzM7">Instead of giving you our player ratings, we what to know what you think. Below is a ratings form for you to fill out with how you rate each Atlanta United player’s performance. After a day/night of voting, we’ll tabulate the ratings and reveal them with the top rated player being named our site’s Man of the Match. Feel free to head down to the comments section and leave your thoughts on the match as a whole or give your detailed explanation of your ratings.</p>
<p id="Ej9sWY"><a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7B9aq2hyeKqT-1DP0_j7RwCUXvGQfhGTDrjg99GhOH_L_ww/viewform?usp=sf_link">Here’s a mobile friendly link to the ratings ballot.</a> The in-post ballot only works on desktop due to issues out of my control. </p>
<div id="6wiQRN"><div><div style="left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 141.4227%;"><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe7B9aq2hyeKqT-1DP0_j7RwCUXvGQfhGTDrjg99GhOH_L_ww/viewform?usp=sf_link&embedded=true&usp=embed_googleplus" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="" style="top: 0px; left: 0px; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div></div></div>
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/15/15313438/atlanta-united-at-montreal-impact-final-score-result-player-ratingsRob Usry2017-04-15T12:06:40-04:002017-04-15T12:06:40-04:00Atlanta United’s lineup at Montreal Impact
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<img alt="MLS: Atlanta United FC at Toronto FC" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_U6b-8oThnw19y5zb0ogXq7LUho=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54274125/usa_today_10012524.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Gerry Angus-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Some changes. </p> <div id="GCxcXg">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today's starting XI in Montreal<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UniteAndConquer?src=hash">#UniteAndConquer</a> <a href="https://t.co/ocGjrGnBBz">pic.twitter.com/ocGjrGnBBz</a></p>— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLUTD/status/853276925292408837">April 15, 2017</a>
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<p id="Lgcxvu">We have our very first <span>Kenwyne Jones</span> starting alert of the season. The big man gets the start up top today in Montreal. Another interesting change is <span>Mark Bloom</span> getting his first ever start for <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a> in place of <span>Tyrone Mears</span> at right back. DSS has learned that Mears was a late scratch due to suffering a right ankle injury. </p>
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/15/15313368/atlanta-uniteds-lineup-at-montreal-impactRob Usry2017-04-15T12:04:03-04:002017-04-15T12:04:03-04:00Atlanta United at Montreal Impact: Match Thread & TV Guide
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2Uxbhb-RF9opigFMeGay36Yka60=/0x191:800x724/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54259127/Montreal_away_Preview.1492184494.png" />
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<p>Another trip up north for Atlanta. Can they pick up their first win of this road trip? </p> <p id="BnrN8h">Match three of a four game road trip is upon us as <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a> make another trek up to Canada for the second week in a row to take on the <a href="https://www.mountroyalsoccer.com/">Montreal Impact</a>. On paper, this appears like a great opportunity for the club to get their first win during this four-match span. <em>Les Bleus</em> are near the bottom of the Eastern conference standings with just three points through five matches. After making it to the conference finals in last year’s MLS Cup playoffs, they are finding it difficult to overcome the loss of Didier Drogba’s <em><strong>cough</strong></em><em> </em>impact <em><strong>cough</strong></em><em> </em>up top. </p>
<p id="K5MDK7">Ignacio Piatti’s absence over the past few weeks hasn’t helped matters either. Unlucky for Atlanta, it appears as if the Argentinian superstar will be back and ready to play some part this weekend. </p>
<p id="5pjIn6">For the Five Stripes, they are in a bit of a lineup selection quandary. <span>Yamil Asad</span> is unavailable for this match while serving his one-match suspension for his red card against Toronto. Jacob Peterson is coming off an ankle injury that kept him home last week. <span>Josef Martinez</span> is still out with his quad injury. This seemed like the perfect spot to get our first official glimpse at <span>Andrew Carleton</span>, but he’s away on international duty with the U.S. U-17’s in Florida preparing for the upcoming CONCACAF Championship. What is Tata Martino to do? Hopefully Peterson is fully fit and ready to go, otherwise there doesn’t seem to be much choice but to change the team’s shape somewhat as there aren’t many other winger options on the roster. </p>
<p id="A53qpM">This should be an interesting match-up with Atlanta’s makeshift attack going against Montreal’s suspect defense. It could make for yet another exciting 90 minutes. </p>
<p id="qOReAI">FOX Sports South will have the broadcast yet again for this one. Kevin Egan, <span>Dan Gargan</span>, and Brittany Arnold will be live from Montreal with kickoff at 1:00 p.m. and pre and post-game shows sandwiching it. </p>
<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="6TQLQJ">
<p id="BvH2iW"><strong>Atlanta United’s Lineup: </strong></p>
<div id="q5tlvU">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Today's starting XI in Montreal<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UniteAndConquer?src=hash">#UniteAndConquer</a> <a href="https://t.co/ocGjrGnBBz">pic.twitter.com/ocGjrGnBBz</a></p>— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLUTD/status/853276925292408837">April 15, 2017</a>
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<p id="GYWhDM"><strong>Montreal Impact’s Lineup: </strong></p>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Voici VOTRE XI partant contre <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ATLUTD?src=hash">#ATLUTD</a><br>Here's YOUR starting XI against <a href="https://twitter.com/ATLUTD">@ATLUTD</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/IMFC?src=hash">#IMFC</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MTLvATL?src=hash">#MTLvATL</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FID%C3%88LES?src=hash">#FIDÈLES</a> <a href="https://t.co/ofUzwDzYao">pic.twitter.com/ofUzwDzYao</a></p>— Impact de Montréal (@impactmontreal) <a href="https://twitter.com/impactmontreal/status/853277254045941760">April 15, 2017</a>
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<hr class="p-entry-hr" id="0EVBLG">
<h2 id="e3zeYC">How to Watch</h2>
<p id="vDM7xq"><em>Kickoff Time: 1:00 p.m. ET</em></p>
<p id="ebbbkz"><em>Venue: Stade Saputo, Montreal, Quebec, Canada</em></p>
<p id="iXJVZy"><em>Available TV: FOX Sports South</em></p>
<p id="T1pEfs"><em>Available Streams: FOX Sports Go, </em><a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fubo.tv%2Flp%2Fv2%2Fgetpro.html%3Fmbsy%3DdQL2J&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dirtysouthsoccer.com%2F2017%2F4%2F15%2F15302206%2Fatlanta-united-at-montreal-impact-live-stream-time-tv-schedule-and-lineups" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em><strong>fuboTV within FSS/FSSE viewing area (free trial)</strong></em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://sling-tv.pxf.io/c/482924/1132376/14334?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sling.com%2F&sharedid=sbnation.com" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"><em><strong>Sling TV</strong></em></a><em>, </em><a href="https://www.playstation.com/en-us/network/vue/"><em><strong>PS Vue</strong></em></a><em><strong>, </strong></em><a href="https://live.mlssoccer.com/subscribe"><em><strong>MLS Live outside FSS/FSSE viewing area</strong></em></a></p>
<p id="fPHsqp"><em>Available Radio: </em><a href="http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/station/92-9-the-game/"><em><strong>92.9 The Game</strong></em></a><em><strong> </strong></em><em>(available via official ATLUTD mobile app)</em></p>
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https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/15/15302206/atlanta-united-at-montreal-impact-live-stream-time-tv-schedule-and-lineupsRob Usry2017-04-14T10:05:02-04:002017-04-14T10:05:02-04:00Atlanta United at Montreal Impact: What to watch for
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<img alt="MLS: Atlanta United FC at Toronto FC" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yLaTGC3vpr93bJeyBao5iwkGBv0=/0x0:3900x2600/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/54244461/usa_today_10001862.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>What happened to Les Bleus, absences, and expected goals part deux</p> <p id="q3J2sk"><a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/mls/teams/atlanta-united">Atlanta United</a> is undefeated in its past four games. Last week the Five Stripes completed their tour of MLS Cup finalists and earned a draw in a wild game north of the border. This week the team will travel north again to face the Poutine Princes in the undeserved week 6 red card derby. While the Toronto game was a good test for Atlanta and they passed while giving fans a limited number of heart attacks along the way, the game this week could be an opportunity to steal three points on the road but injuries and suspensions could derail United.</p>
<p id="pQxuS9"><strong>Which version of Montreal will show up?</strong></p>
<p id="TFDDvJ">Last season Montreal developed a bad habit of shipping late goals and giving away points down the stretch. Despite having the reigning defender of the year in Belgian International Laurent Ciman, in 2016 the team struggled to keep clean sheets and backed into the playoffs after sitting near the top of the Eastern Conference table for much of the season. Despite that, the quick countering offense led by Ignacio Piatti’s 17 goals had Montreal looking to be one of the teams expected to vie for a top spot in the table again.</p>
<p id="GGieHZ">Things haven’t worked out that way and the Impact have no wins and three draws in five games. They started the season with four of five on the road and were perhaps the victims of bad luck with the two red cards earned in their opener and last week against Los Angeles. In their one home game Les Bleus were their own worst enemy, giving up two goals to Seattle and dropping two late points in a repeat of their struggles from last year.</p>
<p id="NPcyDx">That said, Montreal is capable of scoring goals in bunches and scoring them quickly. Like Atlanta they focus on pressing and striking on transition. In another similarity, both teams have been without their top scorers as Nacho Piatti has been injured for the Impact and <span>Josef Martinez</span> has been sidelined for United. In Piatti’s place, Montreal will have to rely on <span>Dominic Oduro</span> and Matteo Mancuso to get on the score sheet.</p>
<p id="T9l8yp"><strong>Atlanta’s pieced together forward line vs. the cobbled together defense of Montreal</strong></p>
<p id="XpMcey">MLS tests depth like no other league. The salary cap limits how much like-for-like depth teams can build when injuries, international duty, and red cards keep star players out of lineups. Atlanta will be missing Martinez and <span>Yamil Asad</span> this week while the Montreal will have center back <span>Hassoun Camara</span> listed as doubtful with a head injury and defensive midfielder <span>Marco Donadel</span> suspended due to a red card</p>
<p id="Pt9HdT">Camara missed time earlier in the year when Montreal drew NYCFC 1-1 and was out injured when <span>Jermaine Jones</span> ran through the Marco Donadel shaped hole in the Montreal midfield to put LA up 2-0 in their game last week. Without their starting center back and midfield defensive anchor, the Impact could struggle against an Atlanta attack that can score even without their top striker.</p>
<p id="whtrpj">On the United side, the team has struggled with players moved around the field. <span>Julian Gressel</span> does not have the same vision and crisp passing as <span>Miguel Almiron</span> in attacking midfield. For his part, Almiron was great as a left midfield drifting centrally but did not have the same connection with <span>Greg Garza</span> that Asad and him have. <span>Jeff Larentowicz</span> is a capable defensive midfielder but Gressel and Carmona have shown that they are the best pairing in central midfield. </p>
<p id="wTwSZi">With Asad out this week it looks like Atlanta will play a similar lineup to the one starting last game perhaps with <a href="http://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/12/15236090/atlanta-united-at-montreal-impact-lineups-predictions">Jacob Peterson starting</a> in place of Asad. The team struggled to build possession against Toronto and had to rely on speed to get the two goals and the draw. Atlanta will need to overcome these issues and exploit Montreal’s absences to impose themselves on the game and earn a win in this match.</p>
<p id="81nruk"><strong>Expected goals part deux </strong></p>
<p id="JH4g0o">By all rights, Atlanta should feel lucky to have come away <a href="http://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/11/15243188/good-bad-and-ugly-of-atlanta-uniteds-draw-at-toronto-fc">with a point last week</a> and the data reflects that. Toronto dominated much of possession and looked dangerous around the United goal. Their <a href="http://www.americansocceranalysis.com/by-game-2017/">expected goals</a> was right at what they scored with an xG rate at 2.28 and an actual score of two goals. On the other hand, Atlanta should have just scored 1.1 goals rather than the two that went in the net. </p>
<p id="yHjLqx">It looks like <span>Tito Villalba</span> will be starting at forward again this week. Against Toronto he just had two shots and both went in the net. As the <a href="http://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/11/15243188/good-bad-and-ugly-of-atlanta-uniteds-draw-at-toronto-fc">good, bad, and ugly post</a> pointed out, he didn’t have a particularly good game and struggled in one-on-one situations last week. Montreal isn’t as stout defensively as Toronto so Atlanta should generate more chances but Villalba will have to get himself into more dangerous positions to take more shots if Atlanta hopes to steal three points this week.</p>
https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com/2017/4/14/15268242/atlanta-united-montreal-impact-previewParker Cleveland