Know Thy Enemy: Revs at Atlanta United Forward Thinking Edition
New England might be getting two key attackers back from injuries today, but personnel alone won't solve their scoring woes.
It is no secret the New England Revolution have generally not enjoyed their trips to Atlanta United and Mercedes Benz Stadium but when the first ever meeting that looked more like an NFL score in a 7-0 pasting, it usually sets a tone.
But when the Revs meet Atlanta today (2:30 PM, FOX) they are playing against a team that can be quite vulnerable at the back.
The problem is the Revs have not displayed anything that would make them a consistent threat on the attacking end, save for a Carles Gil set-piece masterclass against RBNY. While Atlanta has been known to leak goals this year, the return of Miguel Almiron and the breakout of Emmanuel Latte Lath means Atlanta is always dangerous.
While Caleb Porter deserves credit for fixing the Revs defensively this year, Brayan Ceballos and Mamadou Fofana being mostly solid to excellent as a brand new centerback pairing, offensively the Revs have continued to be dreadful.
New England has been shutout four times in six games, five if you count that NYC scored into the wrong net, but we would never disrespect Owen Goal on this site. The fact remains that regardless of who has been up top the last two years —Giacomo Vrioni, Bobby Wood, Leo Campana, Maxi Urruti — the Revs have generally been a bad attacking team.
Porter can’t keep testing the definition of insanity by repeating the same lineup and style every week. There needs to be a significant change with not just how the Revs get forward but who is doing it. Noel Buck having just one appearance off the bench and Jack Panayotou not having any minutes this year is mind boggling for a team that has struggled to get the ball forward. Besides playing your kids usually being a good idea, Porter is barely utilizing his bench at a time where his team is not only not scoring, but barely capable of advancing the ball all while having two youngsters capable of doing that on the bench.
However, today against Atlanta the Revs should be able to generate chances off of turnovers and pressure and take advantage of some sloppy Atlanta United play that has plagued them this year. They tend to give up goals late in games and if not for a late barnstorming comeback 4-3 against NYCFC, Atlanta could be further adrift in the East standings. If Urruti has proven to not be a capable starting option at this point, then give Ignatus Ganago a start up top with Buck out wide opposite Langoni.
While I think that Atlanta is better than their current 10th place, the East is far more competitive than it was last year with teams like Chicago and Philly having rebound campaigns so far. New England is in the midst of a fairly brutal April slate of games and not getting a win today just continues to make their early season hole deeper.
New England needs to start generate good chances now, so that when Chancalay and Campana are back and fully fit, the Revs were no longer trying to solve the main issue of getting the ball into the opponent’s area but rather being able to finish those chances. I keep saying this is a counter attacking team and if Atlanta is going present you the opportunity, the Revs need to be aggressive and direct with those chances.
There are few moral victories the Revs can claim going forward, at some point a loss looks like a loss because it is.
As always we are joined by our good friend Sydney Hunte of Scarves and Spikes for his take on the Atlanta defense and the play of Emmanuel Latte Lath and homegrown Dom Chong Qui. Be sure to check out their site for all of their game coverage as well as my podcast with Henry Higuita previewing todays game. We did record that before the status updates on Chancalay and Campana but the overall method to my lineup remains the same.
TBM: Atlanta has a middling record so far, I suspect it has something to do with the 12 goals allowed and 5 out 7 games giving up multiple goals. What is wrong defensively and can it be fixed quickly?
SH: I think it can, but much of it is getting these players in the right headspace. You get the sense there's still a good bit of PTSD among the defense that creeps up in critical moments, and it certainly has cost the team points.
The Derrick Williams-Stian Gregersen CB pairing is a good (not great) one. Gregersen, on his day, is one of the top center backs in MLS, and Williams adds leadership and experience to that back line. Unfortunately, Williams' form has been shaky throughout the year which is disappointing. I'm not sure if it's age or just a rough stretch, but hopefully he snaps out of it soon.
That's not to say it's all Williams' fault, of course. All in all, though, it comes down to the team as a collective staying turned on all the time. Out of those 12 goals, just about all of them stems from a defensive mixup, a poor read on a ball, etc. If they can get that fixed, and start taking their chances in the attack, things will trend much more positively.
TBM: Obviously the return of Miguel Almiron is a big deal, but Emmanuel Latte Lath has 5 goals already and is in the early Golden Boot mix. Just how good could this attack be for the Five Stripes and how high could it carry them up the Eastern standings?
SH: While we're just seven games in, there's a little bit of a sense of urgency among the players (and fans) in that if the team doesn't fix things in the attack sooner rather than later, they'll have a much steeper climb when the summer rolls around: they'll have a pivotal five-game road swing during the Club World Cup that could truly make or break their season. I think they'll get right, and I think Latte Lath will play a huge role in that. The problem is ensuring everyone's being put in a position to succeed: Alexey Miranchuk just hasn't impressed at the No. 10 spot and Almiron — while largely playing right wing — often takes up the space Miranchuk occupies in the middle of the attack. That's put Saba Lobjanidze at the left wing, and he's not nearly as good a player as he is on the right. If Ronny Deila can pull the right strings with this lineup (we've saw it against NYCFC), they'll be tough to beat.
As far as how far Atlanta can climb? I think that Inter Miami and Columbus are still the class of the East, with Columbus's addition of Daniel Gazdag filling a major need and positioning them to challenge Miami for that top spot. That said, I think that Atlanta, once everything is clicking, could certainly keep itself in the hunt for a top four spot; it's just four points back of Charlotte FC headed into this weekend of play.
TBM: Give us an under the radar signing or young player that has impressed or you'd like to see more of in 2025.
SH: Dom Chong Qui, easily. In December he signed out of Atlanta's academy with Atlanta United 2 after making 17 appearances with them, with his contract originally scheduled to become a Homegrown Player contract in January 2026. He received a great deal of playing time in preseason and impressed Deila, who's spoken very highly of him when asked.
He got signed to four Short-Term Agreements (the max) due to injuries in the first team and eventually made his MLS debut against Charlotte FC in March, and a few weeks later was signed outright to a HGP deal. Good timing, too, because he ended up being named a last-minute starter against NYCFC after Pedro Amador (the first-choice LB) felt something in warmups.
He still has plenty of room to grow (he had a bad touch leading to an NYC goal - he'll learn), but it's easy to see why the organization as a whole is so high on him. He's received some international attention, too, as he went through a U-18 camp in Spain with the USYNT a few weeks back. He probably won't play against the Revs (he'll see much of his time with the 2s) but he's definitely a name to keep tabs on in the future.
Lineup/Injuries/Predictions/Etc.
Predicted XI: Guzan; Amador-Abram-Gregersen-Lennon; Miranchuk-Slisz; Silva-Almiron-Saba; Latte Lath
Injuries: The main one is CB Derrick Williams (hamstring). Edwin Mosquera (ankle), one of the backups at wing, won't play, either.
Scoreline Prediction: 2-1 Atlanta. I think the scoreline will flatter the Revs just a little bit, but I feel Atlanta's quality will see them dominate for most of the match especially considering a disappointing draw against Dallas and two tough away matches coming up against the Union and Orlando City (and with four of their next five after Saturday being played on the road).