Solid performances all-around for the Five Stripes against Inter Miami
Sidenote before we get started: Yes, Atlanta United played against 10 men for an hour. That fact is going to invalidate these ratings for some, but we can only judge against reality, not create hypotheticals of what would’ve been the case if such-and-such happened. Also, I’d add that the team generally had some of its best moments when the game was still 11 v 11.
With that out of the way, let’s get into the ratings!
Player Ratings
GK Rocco Rios Novo 7 – Bonus points for a clean sheet, even though he obviously had a quiet day betwwen the sticks against 10 men. That said, he didn’t look overwhelmed in the slightest in his MLS debut and had noticeably quick reactions and composure on the ball.
LB Caleb Wiley 7 – Was involved in the second goal as his shot was saved that led to Josef Martinez’s goal. He conitinues to provide speed, width and a physical presence on the right side. Scary that he’s only 17.
CB George Campbell 9 (Man of the Match) – Excellent. Was a noticeble presence in the box defending set pieces. Looked energetic in winning aerial duels and only had one incomplete pass.
CB Alan Franco 8 – Tenacious defending all day long and put his body on the line. Both he and Campbell were unafraid to step out of the defensive zones to contest in 1v1 duels – the proper decision when playing against a team with a numerical advantage.
RB Brooks Lennon 6 – Not super sharp, but obviously a fine performance and I continue to be encouraged by both fullbacks in this system having freedom to come inside and make some unique movements that can destabilize organized defenses.
CM Franco Ibarra 7 – Only critique is he could’ve been a little cleaner on the ball, but he did all the dirty work that was asked of him. Ibarra carries an underrated physical presence on the pitch.
CM Emerson Hyndman 7 – Emerson Hyndman’s recent performances are going to give Gonzalo Pineda a selection headache when deciding to go with the American or Matheus Rossetto on a game-to-game basis. 95% passing and he moves the ball quickly and into effective areas.
LW Ronaldo Cisneros 6 – Tactically, Cisneros fits well in a team with a striker like Josef Martinez who is dropping off more. Cisneros is a humble hard-worker who will make selfless runs forward to open up space for others. He wasn’t amazing with his final product Sunday, but was good enough to be effective.
CAM Marcelino Moreno 6 – Moreno is a duality. The positives: got an opponent sent off, set up the second goal with an impressive strong ball progression upfield. The negatives: Lost possession 26 times (for comparison: the next highest was Wiley at 15), is frustratingly a step too slow to latch onto through balls, and sometimes doesn’t release the ball quick enough. More good than bad in this one though.
RW Luiz Araujo 8 – Araujo’s presence in a game can fade in and out, but he always seems to be involved in the big moments, as was demonstrated with his goal + assist. And a hell of a goal it was.
ST Josef Marinez 8 – Great to see Josef’s production on the stat sheet that will surely be a confidence booster for him and the team. Was most happy to see the way he looked physically throughout the game — not looking completely shot with half an hour left.
Here are the community’s ratings, and let us know what you think in the comments.
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