The movement of the ball that led to the first purpose of the team’s 2-1 win over Atlanta United on Sunday was a welcome spectacle. It seemed like the fluid offensive that explained the maximum offensive functionality from July to September, when the team in the most sensitive of the Major League Soccer Rankings.
The blank touches and exact passes on the left wing between midfielder Pedro Santos, striker Gyasi Zardes and left-back Milton Valenzuela ended with the team’s midfielder Lucas Zelarayan, who had the ball in the area’s most sensitive area. to have a face-to-face opportunity in front of the goalkeeper, and guided the ball to the right corner of the target in the 28th minute.
It is the culmination of the team’s most productive offensive functionality in the last five games and an encouraging signal as the MLS Cup playoffs approach.
“I said that when we combine our 3 core media, it’s clearly a great component of the way we play and the way we dictate games,” team coach Caleb Porter said. “When we have Artur, Darlington (Nagbe) and Lucas in this center of the park, in this half field 3 so vital to us, it actually fits everything. “
The team secured the third seed and a first-round playoff game against sixth seed New York Red Bulls. The date and time of the setting have still been announced.
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Statistically, nine shots and only 3 turns would possibly not come off the page, however, the expected target price (xG) of the 1. 41 crew, according to Opta, was the team’s highest since a 3-1 victory. opposed to New York City FC on October 18.
Despite lacking the playoffs, Atlanta is not a bad defensive team this season, completing 13 out of 26 groups with 30 goals allowed.
Porter said the idea that the setting may also have been 3-0 or 4-0 depending on the team’s chances. That would possibly be an exaggeration, but the underlying fact is that the team left the targets on the field.
In the 42nd minute, Santos had a chance of gold to score from less than 10 meters and put it above the crossbar; in the 54th minute, Santos and Central Defender Josh Williams had a chance in the area from a corner that had just been placed. .
It’s just that some of those moments become goals for the team in the playoffs, while maximizing goal chances will be a deciding factor in moving on to the next circular or going home.
But the fluid offense Porter said would return over time when Nagbe and Zelarayan re-entered the lineup sporting the game’s most.
Much of the credits are for Nagbe and fellow midfielder Artur. The two combined for 84 passes ended in 90 attempts with two key passes and an Artur pass on Zardes’ goal in the 55th minute.
BACKGROUND FACTS: Columbus Crew SC vs. Atlanta United November 8, 2020
Starting just outside his own penalty area, Valenzuela played the ball in the area so Artur could run over. The Brazilian then saw Atlanta’s top offensive line and put the ball on for Zardes to chase, which led to a 2-0 lead.
“I think Darlington and Artur were our engine room today,” Porter said.
Sunday’s functionality is not the most productive offensive functionality of the team of the year, however, there is a marked offensive progression. Putting Zelarayan and Zardes back on the game sheet is also vitally important, as their playoff game will likely describe the 2020 season for the team.
“We’ve been running hard all year and all we’ve done is get to that point, the playoffs,” Zardes said. “This season it’s us and now we’re concentrating. It’s going to be complicated, but it’s up to the team to do it. “
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