MARIETTA, Ga.—As newer teams in MLS go, Atlanta United have been nothing short of dominant since coming on the scene last season. They have vanquished almost every team in the Eastern Conference since joining the league, with the exception of Toronto FC and Sunday’s opponent, the New York Red Bulls (1 pm ET | ESPN - Full TV & Streaming Info).
While Atlanta haven’t beaten Toronto, the Five Stripes haven’t yet lost to them either. The same isn't true for the Red Bulls, who might be more of a bugaboo for Atlanta than their foes north of the border.
The Red Bulls handed Atlanta a loss in their inaugural match and are one of two teams to down Atlanta in Mercedes-Benz Stadium this year. Atlanta will be looking to avenge those losses this weekend when they travel to Harrison, New Jersey to take on a Chris Armas-led side for the first time.
“We actually haven’t talked about [not having beaten the Red Bulls], and I didn’t know that, either. But I think the Supporters' Shield race and what’s at stake with the three points I think are massive,” said Atlanta United attacker Julian Gressel. “Three points almost guarantees us a trophy, and that’s really what we’re focused on.”
Atlanta will need to be ready for the frenetic pace to the game, and the team fully expects the Red Bulls to come out and play the way they always have—aggressive and looking to transition quickly off of their opponents’ mistakes.
“The Red Bulls have their identity and I don’t think they’ll change it no matter who the opponent is,” Gressel said. “I think they’re gonna go out and play their style like they do every week. There’s a lot more weapons that we have on the field than some other teams, so they’ll have to account for [that].“
Argentine center back Leandro Gonzalez Pirez said he’s ready for the pressure that Red Bulls will apply to him and his teammates along the back line, as it’s the Red Bulls — not Atlanta — that need to force the action in the match.
“Yeah I expect [Red Bulls to be aggressive]. They expect to win. They need to win,” said Gonzalez Pirez. “We know that. We’ll be ready for them to pressure high, and we’ll try to keep the ball, manage the game and press them high too. It will be a great game.”
