FINAL: DC United 2 – 0 Atlanta United

Summary:

Possession: 44.2% – 55.8%

Total Shots: 17 – 9

Shots on Target: 6 – 2

Passing Accuracy: 81% – 85%

Corners: 7 – 3

xG: 2.12 – 0.4

Brief:

The defending champs don’t seem to like traveling to the nation’s capital, as they are 0-4 away at DC United and have been outscored 8-2 in those matches. A two goal victory does not always mean a dominating performance by the winning team, sometimes it’s simply a matter of who can come up big in the moments or who is more clinical, but in this game there was an overwhelming feeling of one team being better than the other. Now Atlanta is still the defending MLS Champions and is in the middle of CCL knockout round matches, so we can’t be too harsh and call for their heads just yet.

DC outplayed Atlanta throughout the entirety of the game and took Josef Martinez, the record holder for most goals in a single MLS season, completely out of the game. Martinez didn’t have many touches in the game and when he found himself in the box, he was often alone with four or five DC defenders. He was also caught offsides three times. Martinez could simply not get into scoring position, after averaging an xG of 0.9 per game in 2018, he ended the night with an xG of only 0.10.

Meanwhile the front four of Wayne Rooney, Luciano Acosta, Paul Arriola, and Lucas Rodriguez took charge of the match and continuously asked questions of the Atlanta defense, with 11 shots and 10 Key Passes between the four of them.

Man of the Match:

Acosta finished with a goal and an assist, but Arriola was the man of the match for DC United. The right-winger was constantly making runs down the line and cutting into the box to test Brad Guzan or find Rooney at the edge of the six-yard box. His goal came off a corner when he made an intelligent run off his defender to find himself in space, which coincidentally coincided with a loose ball off Acosta, and was able to rocket the ball in from close range. Arriola made an impact in Washington last season, but played a mixture of right-winger and right back to plug holes in the first team. This season with Argentinian right-back Leonardo Jara’s arrival Arriola has full freedom to run around in the final third and is clearly thriving in that role.

Player Summary:

DEF: Bill Hamid didn’t have much work to do in the goal, certainly less than his counterpart in Guzan, and was ready when called upon. Steven Birnbaum and Frédéric Brillant played well as the two centerbacks, keeping Martinez well contained. Fullbacks Jara and Joseph Mora offered plenty of width going forward, and sent many crosses into the box for Rooney and co. The overlapping of the fullbacks helped Arriola and Rodriguez find space inside the 18-yard box, and Rooney at the top of the arc.

MID: Meanwhile midfielders Júnior Moreno and Russell Canouse played well in keeping possession and moving the ball through the middle areas of the pitch during transition. Canouse chipped in with eight tackles from the right side of the pivot. Acosta has seemed to have found his spot in this team playing off of Rooney as a free-flowing 10. Luciano looked to be in total control as he had the most touches on the team (88) and finished the night with four key passes. His goal was slightly controversial, as commentary seems to be half and half on whether it was an error by Guzan that lead to the ball finding its way into the back of the net.

FWD: Arriola was the man of the match and Rodriguez made a solid debut, though we should look for more attacking runs down the left-hand side once he becomes more familiar with the team. Rooney came close to scoring the opener with a placed shot outside the box that just went wide of the post. Otherwise Rooney played a solid game and contributed well in build-up play and drawing defenders.

SUBS: Ulises Segura was subbed on in the 66′ to help close out the game and replaced Rodriguez. Segura showed some life down the left hand sided but couldn’t find the back of the net with a shot inside the box off a counter attacking run by Rooney. Chris Durkin was quiet in his short appearance after being subbed on in the 87′ for Acosta.

Next Match: March 10th @ New York City FC

Stats are sourced from WhoScored.com and AmericanSoccerAnalysis.com