Credit: Cedric Jones/ EVT Sports
San Diego FC traveled to Atlanta on Thursday in preparation for Saturday’s match against Atlanta United. With four games left in the season, the race to the top is as tight as it’s been all season. SDFC sits in first place in the Western Conference, two points above Minnesota.
Six teams are currently within six points of first place in the Supporter’s Shield crown, currently being held by Philadelphia Union. San Diego is second, one point behind the Union.
Facing a Statistically Bad Team
Atlanta has not been good this season. Despite almost constantly drawing the largest crowds in MLS, they sit in 13th place in the Eastern Division with a record of 5-11-13. In their last ten matches, Atlanta has a record of 1-6-3.
Those numbers are staggering. United signed a $22M record deal with start striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, who they brought over from English side, Middlesbrough. The payoff has brought individual results but has not helped the team entirely. Lath has a team-high seven goals in 23 starts on the season.
To add to Atlanta’s woes, Latte Lath has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since mid-August and is doubtful for minutes against San Diego. Atlanta’s second top scorer and second in assists (six total in each category), Alexei Miranchuk is also dealing with injury but may be available to start.
United is in the bottom third of the league for shots given up and shots taken. While they’re in the middle of the table for goals scored, they tend to give up many more than they produce.
While it’s true that Atlanta have not had the season they aspired in the beginning of the year, SDFC head coach Mikey Varas is not downplaying the challenge that lies ahead. “It’s going to be a tough place to play, it’s a very good team with a lot of talent and you can see their games can be quiet explosive.”, Varas said earlier in the week during a media presser.
Atlanta’s predicted lineup
SDFC Looking for a Bounce Back Performance
After losing to Minnesota at home, San Diego FC is looking for a bounce-back performance that will set the tone for the remainder of the season. While Atlanta may be a tough place to play when United are doing well, it won’t be filled with 40,000-plus on Saturday due to the team’s poor form.
San Diego has reclaimed the top spot in the league for possession percentage. Minnesota, a team comfortable conceding the ball, allowed SDFC to surpass the Columbus Crew in the possession rankings. Still, San Diego must be ruthless in front of goal to avoid a repeat of the Minnesota scenario—where the opposition surrenders possession yet punishes on the counter while keeping SDFC off the scoresheet.
“What’s key for us is to get early pressure on the ball, make sure that we disrupt their direct play, and that we’re able to get on the ball to attack fast when the game is open, then make sure we’re having patience when they’re set”, Varas said.
Lineup Questions Heading into Atlanta
Early Friday, it was announced that three players from San Diego FC have been selected as part of the United States U-20 World Cup squad. Goalkeeper Duran Ferree, defender Luca Bombino, and midfielder Pedro Soma are all going to Chile to play in the U-20 World Cup. While they will be available for the Atlanta match, it’s unknown what kind of precaution the team may take, knowing those three have some crucial matches coming up next week.
Manu Duah seemed to have cemented his place in the central defense as Chris McVey was moved out to the wing-back position against Minnesota. McVey likely starts in the wing-back position again in Atlanta, rather than his natural CB position.
The last question mark remains at the center forward position, where Amahl Pellegrino started the last match. Corey Baird seemed healthy against the Xolos in the friendly earlier this week and may be an option for a start. Pellegrino found a handful of close chances against Minnesota but could not put them away. It’s possible Varas gives him another go at it on Saturday. The status of Marcus Ingvartsen is unknown, and at this point in the season, he’s trending to be back in time for the playoffs.
SDFC predicted lineup
Whatever squad Mikey Varas goes with on Saturday will be competitive. “We’re looking to finish the season as strong as possible”, he said. There is no doubt that San Diego has to win this game to be in a realistic position to win the Supporter’s Shield so get ready for an energetic, fun-to-watch match.
Kickoff will be broadcast live on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV, with English radio coverage on San Diego Sports 760 AM and Spanish coverage on TUDN 1700 AM.
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Dmitry Anisimov is a San Diego native who played soccer up to the college level when he represented the SDSU Men’s Club Soccer team. Growing up in San Diego, Dmitry is a fan of all the home teams but he specifically couldn’t wait until San Diego got an MLS team. Once that dream became reality, Dmitry married his love for writing and the game of soccer to portray a voice of the San Diego soccer community. There is a deep-rooted love of soccer culture in San Diego and Dmitry hopes to bring it to light through his pre and post-game coverage of all things San Diego FC.
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