Teams on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference table will meet on Sunday night when Atlanta United hosts FC Cincinnati.
Cincinnati (9-3-2, 29 points) has picked up points in nine of its last 10 games and is tied with Philadelphia for first place in the East ahead of the Union’s match on Saturday against Inter Miami.
For a Cincinnati club that has had so much success this season, its recent 1-1 draw against the Columbus Crew wasn’t an example of its great year, according to head coach Pat Noonan.
“I’m proud of the way the guys represented the club on a night where we were second best,” Noonan said. “They suffered a lot, certainly more so in the second half, but they showed good character on a night where we really, really struggled to make the right decisions in transition. That’s a hard-fought point, but I think we’re fortunate to walk off the field with a point.”
Cincinnati’s Kevin Denkey scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season in the sixth minute of last week’s draw before Columbus leveled the match on a penalty kick. Of the team’s 19 goals on the season, Denkey and Evander (seven) have combined for 15 of them.
Atlanta (2-7-5, 11 points) saw its disappointing season prolonged last week, falling 1-0 to Philadelphia and extending its winless streak to eight games.
Atlanta’s 11 points rank them second-worst in the East, only ahead of CF Montreal, which Atlanta beat in its season opener.
Head coach Ronny Deila’s team endured its sixth scoreless match against Philadelphia. Atlanta hasn’t scored more than one goal in a game since a 4-3 triumph over New York City FC on March 29 — the club’s last win.
“When they have a set play, I feel that something will happen. When we have a set play, I don’t see it,” Deila said following last week’s loss. “I feel we are not accurate enough and not aggressive enough, and that’s a challenge we have as a team.”
Emmanuel Latte Lath has scored five goals for Atlanta, while Miguel Almiron follows with three on the year.
–Field Level Media
