Atlanta United head coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino said there were no positives to take away from his side's last game against New York City FC.
He will not be saying that this time.
Atlanta United used a first-half blitz to cruise to a 3-1 home victory over NYCFC at Bobby Dodd Stadium on Sunday evening. Atlanta scored their three goals in a seven-minute stretch early into the Eastern Conference showdown, with Miguel Almiron bagging a brace and Hector Villalba netting the other for the expansion club by the 23rd minute. Julian Gressel recorded a pair of assists.
NYCFC, who had outplayed and beaten Atlanta United at Yankee Stadium by the same score at the start of the month, pulled one back via Jack Harrison in the 71st minute. The strike proved to be merely a late consolation goal, though.
Goals
- 16' – ATL – Miguel Almiron Watch
- 19' – ATL – Hector Villalba Watch
- 23' – ATL – Miguel Almiron Watch
- 71' – NYC – Jack Harrison Watch
Three Things
- RUTHLESS EFFICIENCY: A key ingredient to Atlanta United coming out on top on Sunday was their ability to capitalize on the chances they had. Atlanta United's first three shots all found the back of the net, which was a result of their composed passing and finishing, and were the only ones that the expansion side put on target on the day. It might not always be easy to make the most of your opportunities in front of goal, but Atlanta United did just that vs. New York City FC.
- NO REACTION: NYCFC may have one of the more potent attacks in the league, but they struggled to respond to the first-half blitz that Atlanta hit them with. New York City's attack, which looked so good in the opening 10 minutes of Sunday's showdown, did not muster up much of a reaction until after the break. NYCFC's defense, meanwhile, took too long to stop committing the errors that put the visiting team in such a large hole. All in all, this was a performance to forget for Patrick Vieira and his troops.
- GETTING HOT: Miguel Almiron's brace for Atlanta gave him five goals in their last two outings. Almiron had some looks in the second half to become the third player in MLS history to record back-to-back hat-tricks according to the Elias Sports Bureau, but his attempts to join Robbie Keane and Eddie Johnson were blocked by scrambling NYCFC defenders. Nonetheless, Almiron looks to be finding his top form right now, and that spells nothing but good things for Atlanta United.
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