Tactical Analysis: New York Red Bulls 2–1 Atlanta United
Atlanta United’s attempt to earn their first win at the Red Bull Arena falls short as the Red Bulls take a 2–1 win over the 5 stripes. Despite Josef Martinez scoring Atlanta’s first goal at Red Bull Arena, late-minute goals from Lewis Morgan and 16-year-old Serge Ngoma hands Atlanta their 7th defeat and remain winless on the road since D.C United in April.
Although it was a bitter loss, both goals resulted from individual mistakes. Wiley made a reckless tackle which resulted in a penalty and De John, to put it lightly, was caught off guard. I don’t want to focus on these types of issues as clearly, this is still a young core of players. Wiley will learn from these mistakes and De John isn’t a first-choice starter but is due to the number of injuries that have plagued this team.
I do, however, want to take a look at how Pineda set up his team as I believe this was one of Atlanta’s better games from a tactical viewpoint.
Lineups:
The Setup:
A notable change that Pineda made was a switch to a back 3 with Campbell, Franco, and De John as the starting backline.
Under Gonzalo Pineda, Atlanta would look to build up through the back and it would start with the keeper. Rios Novo has done well in distributing the ball and being able to handle the pressure from the forward line. This allows space to open up and Atlanta can bypass the initial press.
Here’s another example of an attacking play all started from the back:
The change to a 3 man backline allows Atlanta to have additional passing options when they begin the play. Franco would start it off while Campbell and De John would be outside the box in wide channels. One of the midfield trio would drop deep to provide a passing option once the space is available. Atlanta would recycle possession until an opening can be created through the middle or the wide spaces.
Whenever the Red Bulls would begin to press the defense, Atlanta would open up the pitch by spreading their players out wide. Red Bull’s tendency to press their man would open up spaces behind the first line which Atlanta would take advantage of.
When defending, Atlanta would shape their team in a 5–3–2 formation. The backline of Campbell, Franco, and De John would mark the front 3 of the Red Bulls while Caleb Wiley and McFadden would take care of the oncoming fullbacks. In the picture below, Atlanta defends in a narrow as they look to push the Red Bulls out wide. They can afford this space as the center backs can provide additional support to the wingbacks if need be.
With Atlanta’s defensive shape, however, will come few opportunities at goal. Despite looking in control of the match, Atlanta had difficulty creating goal-scoring chances from the opposition half. Cisneros had a good chance at goal from a long ball in their half and Luis Araujo’s missed opportunity came from a Red Bull mistake. Martinez’s goal even came from a brilliant run by Wiley, who was not marked by Edwards as he got caught up with an injury. Atlanta’s plan of attack was to remain patient until Red Bulls slowly opened themselves up and look for the runs of the forward line.
The Red Bulls made a formation change in the second half by pushing Edwards into a fullback role and pushing Harper forward to make a 4–2–3–1. This allowed Red Bulls to send more bodies forward to combat Atlanta’s tight backline. Eventually, Luquinhas would come in for Harper and he would be what lead to the Red Bull’s comeback.
Atlanta United and Pineda will be disappointed to not be leaving without a single point, but I still give props to Pineda for the changes he made for this game. Despite all the criticisms he may get, I believe this was one of the best games he has coached this season and it’s with a team that’s barely hanging on by a thread. While we may not know where Atlanta will finish this season, this game shows that Pineda has a tactical identity and will be willing to make those changes to get that win.
This was the last game Almada was suspended for and he will be able to play the game against NYCFC at Yankee Stadium this Sunday.
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