Three points, grit, win when you don’t play your best, etc... I get it. It’s always good when you win. But Atlanta did not play very well either before or after the flurry of cards and the penalty handed out around the 23rd minute. Tata Martino said as much after the match in his post game press conference.
“I think that if this game had been 11 on 11 it would have been a difficult game. I have the thought that it’s even possible that we lose this game if it’s 11 on 11,” Martino said. “It’s concerning when a team isn’t intelligent to play 11 versus nine, to circulate the ball from side to side and get a lot of people in the box to finish the play.