Nothing good lasts forever. Atlanta United’s win streak came to an abrupt halt when a trip to Vancouver resulted in a 3-1 loss. A poor defensive effort, specifically poor set piece defending, allowed Vancouver to take all three points despite being scored on just seven minutes into the game.
For the 11th time this season, Atlanta was the first team to find the back of the net. The build up began when Yamil Asad found Julian Gressel out wide, who ultimately found Greg Garza to open the scoring in just the seventh minute. Atlanta 1, Vancouver 0
The goal was Garza’s first in the five stripe threads, and although it came at a great time, it wasn’t enough to tame the Whitecaps.
In the 31st minute, Vancouver equalized. After controlling a chipped pass, Kendall Watson launched a shot passed Alec Kann into the top of the net. Atlanta 1, Vancouver 1
This was only the start to a great game for Kendall Waston and the Caps. A corner kick right before the end of the half found the head of Waston and ultimately the back of the net. His brace was a surprise to everyone, as he only scored three goals last year and had yet to score this season. Atlanta 1, Vancouver 2
Halftime in Canada. Although Atlanta led possession by a whopping 61-39, they still found themselves a goal behind.
The poor set piece defending continued in the second half, and in the 68th minute, Atlanta paid for it again. After Alec Kann saved a header just inches before it would’ve counted as a goal, Fredy Montero took advantage of Atlanta standing around and gave Vancouver the cushion. Atlanta 1, Vancouver 3
There looked to be a bit of hope for Atlanta late in the match when a series of incredible saves from the Whitecaps somehow ended in Robert Sibiga awarding the Five Stripes a penalty. However, he quickly reversed the call, killing any hopes of a comeback.
Perhaps the only positive stat to take from the game was that Atlanta absolutely dominated possession 67-33, but even with that being said, you never want to see your side allow three goals while dominating possession. The loss moved United from 7th to 8th on the table, but the Five Stripes are still just two points behind the good side of the red line.
Saturday, the team will face a difficult task as they travel to face the Chicago Fire. Although Atlanta beat Chicago 4-0 in their last match up, the Men in Red have yet to lose a game at home, so the team will have to improve between now and then if they don’t want to leave on a two game losing streak. But hey, like we said, nothing good lasts forever.