MONTREAL – Atlanta United fell just short of holding on for a draw on the road after finishing yet another game with 10 men, but this result was tough to swallow.
Atlanta were leading the Montreal Impact 1-0 when center back Leandro Gonzalez Pirez was shown a questionable red card for a foul on striker Matteo Mancosu late in the first half. Ignacio Piatti scored on the ensuing penalty for Montreal, but the expansion team went on to hold the Impact at bay until Anthony Jackson-Hamel scored deep into stoppage time to hand Atlanta a 2-1 defeat on Saturday afternoon.
Kenwyne Jones, who scored his first MLS goal in his first start for Atlanta, believed that United deserved a better fate for their efforts at Stade Saputo.
“I think we could have got all three points here today," said Jones. "You know, just before they scored that goal from nowhere basically at the end, I don’t think that them being a man up they really wanted to score or win the game. That goal sort of came out of nowhere but for us, we were in the game, we were dominating it until the point well, you know, the penalty and the red card.
"But these things happen. We have to take each experience that we come out here on match days and put it in our lockers and build on them.”
Atlanta United head coach Gerardo ‘Tata’ Martino gave a terse “no comment” in English when asked about the red card on Gonzalez Pirez. Asked if it was strange that Atlanta got their third red card in six games, Martino offered up a brief response in Spanish.
“Maybe not strange, but a little excessive,” Martino said through a translator.
When asked if he would appeal the red card to Pirez, Martino said that was a decision for the front office.
Martino also praised Jones' performance up top as well the rest of his players for their ability to adjust while playing a man down on the road.
“[Jones] played a very good game,” Martino said. “I thought he put in a really good effort and a very good game even in addition to the goal. I think the whole team played well, with different styles of play, by comparing the first half to the second half, but the whole team put in a good effort.”
