Sometimes, you need to meet your foil and be utterly embarrassed by them to truly understand and address your core weaknesses. For Atlanta United, that foil came in the form of a disciplined and self-less Austin FC side that utterly embarrassed Atlanta in front of its home fans. Unlike the disjointed individual-dominated product Atlanta consistently trots onto the pitch, Austin reminded Atlanta fans what it looks like to have a clear philosophy and a group of teammates who are capable of operating as a unit. They were remarkably efficient in their system and laid bare Atlanta’s lack of discipline, mental weakness, and overall lack of cohesion that has hindered the development of any kind of real system.
Gonzalo Pineda and Josef Martinez call for a culture change at Atlanta United
