After 85 minutes on Wednesday night, things were looking up for Atlanta United. Leading 2-1 late on in Dallas, the Five Stripes found themselves in the familiar position of having to close out a match on the road. We discussed how they did this in Columbus several weeks ago, reverting to a more defensive structure through the center and countering down the flanks through Tito Villalba and Miguel Almirón. But in Dallas, Tata Martino tried something different. To combat Dallas going all-out attack, Martino opted to switch to a back five, bringing on an extra defender in Miles Robinson for the knackered and attack-minded Ezequiel Barco.
BREAKDOWN: How miscommunication and individual errors sank Atlanta United vs. FC Dallas
