Atlanta United falls 2-1 to Inter Miami in Game 1 of the Round One Best-of-3 series at Chase Stadium.
Inter Miami would put up an early goal in the 2nd minute of the match as Fiego Gomez was able to capitalize on a misplayed ball in the defensive half to find Luis Suarez who found the back of the net.
Brooks Lennon and Stian Gregersen were early substitutions for Rob Valentino’s side due to both of the sustaining injuries. That forced a lot of formation changes as the Five Stripes continued to develop into the match.
Atlanta would find the equalizer in the 39th minute when Pedro Amador slotted a beautiful pass in the box to connect with Saba Lobjanidze.
In the 60th minute, Alba made it 2-1 for Miami on an absolute rocket outside the 18. Even after Miami regained the lead, Atlanta’s fight to push for another equalizer continued. Unfortunately, Atlanta couldn't capitalize on those chances.
“The fact that these guys have been on six flights in five days, I’m so proud of them. They battled, they fought, they scrapped, they had a first minute goal, two injuries. They’re resilient, and I’m really proud of them,” said Interim Head Coach Rob Valentino. “I’m proud to be their coach at this moment and they never gave up. Fatigue is a massive one, but we went toe-to-toe with them and nearly had them”
The Five Stripes had played three games in seven days and even though the team was battling fatigue, they fought until the end. Brad Guzan came up huge for Atlanta as he had eight saves in the match. In those three matches, Guzan has made 22 saves.
“We’ve got to keep our heads up, you’ve got to go again. I think I mentioned a week ago, I think before the Montréal game, we’ve had our backs against the wall for quite some time now. When our backs have been against the wall, we’ve found a way,” said Brad Guzan after the 2-1 loss. “Our backs are against the wall now, we’ve got to go into Game 2 and we’ve got to win. Plain and simple. That’s all we can do. We’ve got to rest, we’ve got to recover and then we’ve got to prepare to go again.”
Atlanta United is back in action next week on Saturday, Nov. 2 as Inter Miami comes to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Game 2 of the Best-Of-3 at 7:00 p.m. m.
“I can’t wait to see them. I’m already buzzing about what that place is going to be like. That’s what my message is to them[the team], these people are waiting to cheer for you, you’ve been three on the road to finish into the playoffs and they’ve put those performances together and you can feel the buzz getting back for them and supporting them like they do,” said Valentino. “You know what, all the people coming to see [Lionel] Messi, come on, no problem. I love it, because eventually, like last time when things were going well they were also cheering [for us]. I get it, come to see the superstars, come and see our team fight and compete but these boys aren’t done yet.”
✍️: Madison Crews
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