Atlanta United 2 fall to Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0

AJ Cochran from Atlanta United 2 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium April 28, 2018. (photo Chris Cowger)

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 1 Atlanta United 2 – 0

Atlanta United 2 fell to Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 1-0 at Highmark Stadium in front of 1,998 fans in a chilly evening. For the second match in a row Atlanta has failed to score. Unable to overcome the first half goal from the home team, in spite of a second half that saw the visitors controlling possession and out-shooting Pittsburgh 5-1.

Atlanta United 2 head coach Scott Donnelly reflected after the match, “The urgency to execute the things we trained wasn’t consistent enough, and we needed to be sharper earlier in the game. And as we’ve seen with our opponent, you can’t give them an inch. This has to be another learning experience for our players. Playing the style we play in this club requires a consistently high level of performance, and we are learning how to do that.”

Scoring

The only goal scored was in the 26th minute when Pittsburgh’s Neco Brett drilled a shot into the lower-right corner. The play began with a throw-in at the Atlanta 18-yard box where Christiano Francois received a pass and dribbled toward the end line and laid off a clean ball for the goal scorer Brett.

Oliver Shannon from Atlanta United 2 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium April 28, 2018. (photo Chris Cowger)

After only two shots from the entire team in the first half, coach Donnelly spoke to the improved performance of Andrew Carleton, “Much improved in the second half, and I like how he went after the game as we collectively stepped up our performance and pressure. At the same time, our standards for Andrew are very high, and we won’t stop pushing him to have more complete performances. The great thing is that he’s also honest with himself and wants the same thing.”

The most dangerous opportunity for ATL UTD 2 came on the final play of the match five minutes into stoppage time. They almost equalized on a throw-in into the box was headed out to edge of the penalty area, where Laurent Kissiedou took the volley just over the bar.

Personnel Details

Jack Metcalf has been the stable force in Atlanta United 2’s line up. The 26 year old defender from Liverpool has played every minute this season. Metcalf playing collegiately at Clemson University and spent 2017 with Bangor City of the Welsh Premier League.

Both Devon Sandoval and Paul Christensen made their second start of the season. Goalkeeper Christensen gave Nico Caraux a breather after starting the matches on Saturday and Tuesday. The MLS veteran Sandoval went the entire 90 minutes and is mixing with the young ATLUTD2 attackers.

Devon Sandoval from Atlanta United 2 against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium April 28, 2018. (photo Chris Cowger)

Laurent Kissiedou made his second appearance of the season after being out with an illness which saw him miss four matches. The 19 year old played for Charleston Battery in 2017 where he made his professional debut. The Ivorian midfielder spent 2016 in Atlanta United’s academy and scored seven goals with the U-18 team.

Line-ups

Atlanta United 2

GK: Paul Christensen
Defenders (4): Mikey Ambrose, AJ Cochran, Miles Robinson, Jack Metcalf ©;
Defensive Midfielders (2): Andrew Kendall-Moullin, Oliver Shannon
Attacking Midfielders(3):, Chris Goslin (Lagos Kunga – 53’), Andrew Carleton (Laurent Kissiedou – 89’), Jon Gallagher
Forward (1): Devon Sandoval

Unused Substitutes

Nico Caraux, Kevin Barajas, Jose Carranza, Jackson Conway, Shawn Nicklaw

Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

GK: Kyle Morton
Defenders (3): Todd Pratzner, Tobi Adewde, Thomas Vancaeyezeele
Midfielders (5): Jordan Dover, Ray Lee, Kenardo Forbes, Kevin Kerr (Ben Zemanski – 71’), Mouhammed Dabo
Forwards (2): Christiano Francois (Hugh Roberts – 90+1’), Neco Brett (Romeo Parkes – 69’)

Unused Substitutes