Atlanta United is back on the road once again this weekend to close out a three-match road swing when it travels to Canada to take on CF Montréal. Coming off two road defeats last week, and an exit in the U.S. Open Cup earlier this week, the 5-Stripes are in need of some positive momentum as we head into the final matches before Leagues Cup. Atlanta is tied on points for ninth place in the Eastern Conference, while Montréal is just one point behind. Last time at Stade Saputo, Brooks Lennon notched the only goal of the match for the 1-0 road victory. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against CF Montréal.
Focus on set piece execution in both boxes
Set pieces can make the difference in any given soccer match. Atlanta found out the hard way at Real Salt Lake, when they conceded three goals off set pieces. One of the points of emphasis for the players and coaching staff this week will be to correct those mistakes and make sure they perform better defensively against Montréal.
Offensively, Atlanta is still looking for its first goal from a corner kick or direct free kick. Last year, that was a major strength for the side when they scored nine goals off corner kicks and added three more direct free kick goals. The team’s 18 set piece goals last year were the fourth-highest total in all of MLS. If Atlanta can fine tune its offensive set pieces and take advantage of one or two of them this weekend, it could be in position to pick up road points in Montréal.
Limit Montréal’s midfield effectiveness
One of the strengths of Montréal’s team this year is the attacking midfield. They have several quality options in that part of the field with the likes of Bryce Duke, Dominik Iankov, Ariel Lassiter and more. Duke leads the team in key passes this year with 31 and he’s a crafty midfielder who likes to play between the lines and feed the attack. Up top, Atlanta could potentially face an old friend again as Josef Martinez has started the last three matches for Montréal. The former league MVP has scored three goals and added three assists. Winger Sunusi Ibrahim leads Montréal in scoring with six goals. If Atlanta’s defense and midfield can stay organized and limit the time and space for Montréal’s attacking midfielders, they can cut down the supply to the attack and give themselves the best chance to collect three points.
Continue to share the scoring load
The 5-Stripes must continue to see players step up and share the scoring load until reinforcements can join the team during the Secondary Transfer Window. Against Real Salt Lake, Saba Lobjanidze and Daniel Ríos scored pushing their goal tallies to five goals each in MLS this season. Jamal Thiaré has also scored five goals in the limited minutes he’s been able to play. Atlanta needs to take advantage of being a little less predictable than they were earlier in the season when most of the attacks went through Thiago Almada and Giorgos Giakoumakis. The whole team needs to step up and share the goal scoring load in order to earn a victory in a tough environment like Stade Saputo on Saturday night.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV on Saturday night at 7:30 pm ET when the action kicks off at Stade Saputo in Montréal, Quebec. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
