After a long season spanning 259 days, 36 MLS games, 5 DPs, 39 million dollars of outgoing transfers, and 46 goals, it all comes down to a tough match in Fort Lauderdale tonight. A team with just one active player in double digits for goals has snuck into the playoffs, barely survived Montreal, and now has the chance to eliminate potentially the most talented MLS team of all time.
But what needs to happen for that shocking possibility to become a reality? And what will Inter Miami fans, Apple, Adidas, MLS, Argentines, and Messi fans around the world be praying for?
What time is it?
Atlanta's goal leader, Saba Lobzhanidze, will likely need to be on the score sheet for Atlanta to have a chance. While one of the most impressive things about Atlanta's recent run has been the range of goal scorers, since his goal against Miami on September 18th, Saba has never gone more than 2 games without a goal. Atlanta is also undefeated when he has scored in the window (other than the first Miami playoff game).
This doesn't mean it isn't possible to win without it being Saba time, but the path to the conference semifinals is a lot clearer if he can add to his tally.
Pedro Assistador
Another player who has played out of his mind recently is the one and only Pedro Amador. As a free transfer, he has now gotten 7 assists, three of which were in the playoffs. He has had an assist in every single playoff game this year. That is absurd. And that rate of .61 per 90 minutes is the highest of anyone in MLS. Miami has had no answer for his precise crosses into the box and that would be an issue keeping me up at night if I were Tata Martino. Weigandt clearly has no answer for the Portuguese phenom.
But aside from gaudy assist stats, Amador has also been great on defense. In the past 365 days, Amador averages 1.83 blocks per 90 minutes and 1.51 interceptions per 90 minutes, putting him in the 97th and 83rd percentiles, respectively. Another interesting note is that he is yet to commit a foul as an Atlanta United player. It's a marginal benefit but not giving Messi a chance to score from free kicks is always nice.
He can really do no wrong and another stellar Amador performance will likely be crucial for an Atlanta United upset.
The Mother Loving Wall
Brad Guzan needs some respect on his name. Regardless of his performances in recent games, Brad deserves to be easily among Atlanta United's (admittedly short-lived) hall of fame. I would even go so far as to argue America's but that is more debatable. Add in his outrageous form of late and the case becomes even more obvious. The only concern with Brad consistently owning Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Jordi Alba is that is makes a great note to retire on. At this point, he has to be thinking about it and I would want to go out on top like now but we will see his decision.
That is an issue for a later date, though, and, for now, everyone should be praying he is able to put up another textbook performance in goal. In the first Miami game, Brad faced 22 shots, 12 on target, and an xG of 3.35. That is even crazier when you consider the Jordi Alba stunner had an xG of just 0.03. He was the reason we were still in that game and you can see the frustration on Messi and friends' faces after each time the trio with 8 Ballon D'ors, 6 Champions Leagues, 1 European Championship, 3 Copa Americas, and over 1,450 goals between them couldn't beat the veteran shot-stopper.
Another MVP performance from Guz would greatly help Atlanta's cause against an Inter Miami team that averaged almost 2.5 goals per game in the regular season.
Let's do this ATL!
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