The past two months have seen Atlanta United face some of the premier attacking talents in MLS. From newcomers Carlos Vela and Zlatan Ibrahimovic to top-tier MLS scorers in David Villa, Dom Dwyer and reigning Golden Boot winner Nemanja Nikolic, there have been plenty of challenges for the back line. But aside from a penalty kick from Villa, the Five Stripes have kept all of them off the scoresheet. Atlanta United players say they’re in a confident mood but credit their defensive game plan.
“You look at the games we’ve had, with Zlatan or with Dwyer in the last game, it’s about limiting their service, limiting their ability to score, making them do things they’re not comfortable doing,” midfielder Jeff Larentowicz told reporters this week.