When Luis Suarez put the Herons up 1-0 within the first two minutes, it looked like we might be headed for a worst-case scenario for Atlanta United. But the Five Stripes deserves plenty of credit. Atlanta got back into the game with momentum, thanks to the performances of Pedro Amador and Saba Lovjanidze.
But they could only endure for so long. Jordi Alba scored a shock goal in the 60th minute for the Five Stripes, who were playing their third road game in six days, but finding a second equalizing goal always feels like an uphill task. It was done.
Inter Miami is currently 1-0 in the series. But Atlanta will get a much-needed week of rest and return to its hometown for the first time in weeks. It won’t be easy for the Atlanta Herons. I’m aiming for a double, but things are going well so far.
Neither team was able to cross the goal line in the regular season. Yes, the Galaxy had won three of their last four games, but faltered in the final moments of decision day. If they hadn’t allowed Houston the winner in stoppage time, they wouldn’t even have played Colorado. They had placed the Bees in the top spot in the West, but instead finished second in the West.
However, it could be worse. Rapids could have done anything they have done since the League Cup. In the eight games since moving into third place in the tournament, Colorado has averaged 1.13 points per game. New York and Vancouver were the only two playoff teams to perform poorly during this period.
Considering the defensive performance in that section, the result could have been even more disastrous. Colorado allowed an expected 1.99 goals per game. This is the league’s worst result since the League Cup. Allowing too many chances is always a bad thing. Allowing a ton of chances from Zach Steffen while having the second-worst shot stops in the league is not ideal at all.
That seems especially true when facing the league’s best offensive line. If we want to stick to the theme of post-League Cup results, the Galaxy have been at the top of MLS in terms of expected goals since then. They produced an average of 2.12 xG per game over eight games and were the only team in MLS to average more than 2.00 xG during that period.
On paper, I can see where this is going. There will be a lot of goals in this series. If you were to personally choose between Riqui Puig, Gabriel Peck, Dejan Jovezic, and Josef Paintsil, the most productive quartet in Los Angeles history, and a very solid Rapids offense, If so, I’d lean toward the group that set records this year. Against a group that played well.
Maybe the Rapids will reunite. They haven’t had much time to rest since Decision Day, but maybe they can catch a little breather. Frankly, they looked mentally and physically exhausted ever since that big defeat in the League Cup.
The Leagues Cup run is a proof of concept. We know they have a deep track record in tournaments. The big question is whether that version of Rapids exists anymore.
Good luck. Let’s start with the right foot.
