Atlanta United Strives to Stay Emotionally Even Ahead of Saturday’s Game

“Even when players make mistakes, I said it from day one, I don’t care about the mistake, I just want to see your reaction,” Valentino said.

On Friday, Valentino cited Jay Fortune and Bartosz Slisz as examples. Fortune’s pass put Brooks Lennon in a tough spot, and Lennon was whistled for a penalty that NYCFC converted to tie the score. Valentino appreciated that Fortune didn’t hang his head. He immediately marked his NYCFC player. The penalty wasn’t his fault. The goal wasn’t his fault.

Slisz’s mistake, a heavy touch and a turnover, contributed to NYCFC’s first goal. Valentino said he and others could see Slisz’s dejection. Tristan Muyumba could be seen trying to bounce it. Slisz was having a great game before the mistake, and he did so after refocusing.

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“It’s hard to go through moments like this, where the results aren’t going your way, and it’s hard to get through it,” Valentino said. “But I always encourage them to try to be as balanced as possible and not have ups and downs. But if it gets tough, and I hope we can have more positive moments than they did… maybe I’ll stop them from walking away with their shoulders a little bit forward.”

Columbus will be a test of concentration.

The Crew, the reigning MLS champion, plays differently than most MLS teams. Players appear in unorthodox spots and create power plays in non-traditional places on the field.

Columbus beat Atlanta United 1-0 in the season opener. Valentino said the win was a win the team has kept this season. The Crew scored in the 27th minute when several Atlanta United players were caught ball-watching.

“The mistake came with something that we thought we could fix, but it’s also a way for them to score goals all the time,” Valentino said. “And it’s a model that they’ve adopted. So it’s something that we’re well aware of. But their team is different, our team is different. Their team will be slightly different in terms of emotional and collective level during the season.”

Atlanta United bounced back and had chances to equalize as they remained emotionally balanced and maintained their focus.

We’ll have to do that for 90 minutes on Saturday.

“We’re focusing on ourselves as a team, on the little details, because obviously we’re not getting the results we want,” guard Ronald Hernandez said. “Columbus, we know they play a lot different, they play good football. We have to stick to the plan that coach has given us.”

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Atlanta United 2024 Schedule

February 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in US Open Cup

May 11 DC United 3, Atlanta United 2

May 15 Cincinnati 1, Atlanta United 0

May 18 Atlanta United 1, Nashville 1

May 21 Atlanta United 0 (5), Charleston 0 (4) in US Open Cup

May 25 LAFC 1, Atlanta United 0

May 29 Atlanta United 3, Miami 1

June 2 Charlotte 3, Atlanta United 2

June 15 Atlanta United 2, Houston 2

June 19 Atlanta United 1, DC United 0

June 22 Atlanta United 1, St. Louis 1

June 29 Atlanta United 2, Toronto 1

July 3 New England 2, Atlanta United 1

July 6 Real Salt Lake 5, Atlanta United 2

July 9 vs. Indy Eleven 2, Atlanta United 1

July 13 Montreal 1, Atlanta United 0

July 17 Atlanta United 2, NYCFC 2

July 20 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

July 26 vs. DC United in Leagues Cup, 7:30 p.m.

August 4 against Santos Laguna in Leagues Cup, 4 p.m.

August 24 at LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.

August 31 in Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.

September 14 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.

September 18 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.

September 21 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

September 28 in Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

October 2 vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

October 5 vs. Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

October 19 in Orlando, 6 p.m.