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How Atlanta United pulled off the biggest upset in MLS history
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How Atlanta United pulled off the biggest upset in MLS history

13/11/24 18:24

Atlanta United pulled off one of the biggest shocks in MLS history in the early hours of Sunday morning (UK time) when they beat regular season points record breakers Inter Miami 3-2. The first-round series operates under a ‘best of three’ system and after a win each the final match was set to be dramatic. Inter Miami have possibly one of the most star-studded squads Major League Soccer has ever seen. Most fans had expected the Florida outfit to breeze through the playoffs and take home their first MLS Cup after already clinching the Supporters’ Shield last month.

How did it happen?

What makes this triumph so remarkable is the fact that Atlanta had finished 9th in the Eastern Conference - the lowest possible finish that still qualifies a team for the playoffs - and only pipped DC United in 10th by goal difference. After an extremely average season, the Five Stripes looked like a shadow of the squad that won their first and only MLS Cup back in their sophomore 2018 season.

With five different goalscorers across the three ties with Miami, Atlanta showed true team spirit. This was emphasised in the second tie, back at home when a 94th-minute Xande Silva (yes, the Silva who was a failed Pellegrini signing for West Ham in 2018) winner sent the fixture to a third round.

Atlanta unites

Atlanta had a season of highs and lows, losing the two top scorers of their 2023 campaign midway through this season. Highly-rated young star and World Cup winner, Thiago Almada (who became the first-ever MLS player to win the World Cup in 2022) left for Brazil in July after scoring 13 goals in 2023. He was then efficiently replaced by Russian international Aleksey Miranchuk. The other major mid-season loss was Giorgos Giakoumakis, who scored 19 goals in 2023. The losses of key goalscorers were reflected in Atlanta’s 2024 statistics, with not one player reaching double goalscoring figures in the regular season. Georgian winger Saba Lobjanidze currently sits at the top of the scoring charts, as his goal in Atlanta’s first-round loss to Miami ticked him over to 11 in all competitions. Lobjanidze featured in Georgia’s first-ever Euros squad this summer and has been a mainstay this season, with only one outfield player playing more minutes.

It was not just the goalscorers that played an integral role in Atlanta’s success, defensive performances from Brad Guzan and Derrick Williams also were hugely commendable. The keeper and centre-back have a long history dating back to almost 15 years ago when both were on the cards at Aston Villa, Guzan as Villa’s eventual first-choice keeper and Williams as a West Midlands academy graduate. Unfortunately for Williams though, he made just one Premier League appearance for the Villans off the bench against QPR in December 2012, who was in goal that day? Guzan himself. The now 40 year old who is the last surviving member of Atlanta’s 2018 MLS Cup winning squad made a combined total of 15 shots in the two away matches in Miami. Williams scored Atlanta’s first in their home win and has settled in the US after leaving Blackburn Rovers in 2021. A final two mentions go to MLS veteran Dax McCarty (who at 37 has played for six clubs in America) and Jamal Thiare who at 31 has just witnessed possibly the biggest moment of his career, scoring a brace in Atlanta’s famed win.

It’s easy to forget that Atlanta headed into the season's final day in 12th, with fate out of their hands. They went into the playoffs with momentum after losing just once in their last six regular season games. Because of Atlanta’s unlikely pathway to the playoffs and low finish, there was next to no pressure, giving them the freedom on the pitch to defeat the team that had the whole world watching them.

Mistake prone Miami

The media and fans are bound to question how Miami imploded so quickly in the playoffs for the foreseeable future as the Supporters’ Shield curse continues (the team with the highest regular season points total has won the playoffs just 8/29 times with the top seeded club going out in the first round on ten occasions). It cannot be overlooked that the Herons were without Sergio Busquets for the first defeat and most of the second due to illness. Busquets raises the standard of Miami’s midfield hugely even in his latter years due to his experience, defensive awareness and passing ability. Even with a coach at the helm that has experienced managing at Barcelona, Miami’s strategy of outscoring their opponent and not relying on a solid defence ended up being too big of a risk.

An additional lack of a high quality centre back and even potential complacency after winning the Shield and breaking the points record are other factors to consider. Miami could not have faced and lost to a more ironic opponent though, as Atlanta set the model standard for expansion clubs, bringing in talent, a notable coach and spending plenty of money to earn instant success. The result gets increasingly bizarre when you consider that Miami lost just four games in the regular season, one of those against Atlanta, meaning that the Five Stripes not only boosted Miami’s MLS losses in 2024 to six, but can boast that they singlehandedly contributed to 50% of the point record holders total losses.

What this result means for the MLS

Despite Jordi Alba voicing his opinion on the unfair nature of the play offs. This victory means so much more than just a win on the pitch, as it truly highlights the competitiveness and excitement the American playoff format can bring to the game of football. Even though the league and surrounding media currently seem infatuated with Messi’s Miami, the favourites can still be overturned and dumped out on home soil. The post-season tournament has been thrilling so far, as many of the successful regular season teams have struggled including LAFC who only just defeated underdogs Vancouver Whitecaps, and Columbus Crew’s shock exit to an underwhelming New York Red Bulls. Incredibly of the final eight remaining teams, six finished fourth or lower, showing the true competitive spirit of the MLS as a league.

Atlanta will now face Orlando City, the team they beat just last month on decision day, in the Eastern Conference semi-final on the 24th of November with the winner playing whoever comes out on top of the Hudson River derby in the other semi-final. After two wins against Miami and one against Montreal in the wildcard round, Atlanta have now won five of their last six games and look a side unstoppable, if they were to go on to lift the MLS Cup they would become the side with the lowest ever regular season points per game total (1.18) to complete the achievement, record breaking.

Benji Kosartiyer
Journalist
James McLeish

Writer

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