Atlanta United gained a point Wednesday, but wasted another home match

As exciting as the final 15 minutes were in Atlanta United’s 2-2 draw with Inter Miami on Wednesday – punctuated by Alexey Miranchuk’s tying goal in his team debut – it doesn’t mask that the Five Stripes earned only one point from its past two home matches. While it didn’t lose much ground in the sprint for the final playoff spot, it certainly wasted two chances to cement itself among the nine teams that will qualify for the postseason.

After Wednesday’s results, the team is four points behind eighth-place Toronto and one-point behind ninth-place D.C. United, with five matches remaining. There are six teams within five points of ninth.

“I think we are sitting one point out of (the playoffs), so I can sit there and think about being disappointed with that, or I can move forward and think about how we need to pick up points on the road,” interim manager Rob Valentino said after the game Wednesday. “We always knew we were going to have to anyways, so now we know where we stand, and we have to do the work on our own.”

Atlanta United’s remaining matches start at the Red Bulls on Saturday. Atlanta United has never won a match in Harrison, New Jersey. It has beaten the Red Bulls once in a regular-season match to make its record 1-9-4 against the energy-drink team.

“I don’t really kind of look at statistics like that in terms of our record versus them,” fullback Brooks Lennon said Wednesday. “It’s one of five finals for us. They’re a very good team. They’re really well organized. They work hard. So I think if we keep the same energy we had tonight, and we just finished our chances, we had so many chances in front of goals tonight, we’ve just got to be a little bit more clinical.”

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Clinical would help its chances. Starting faster would also be a benefit.

Atlanta United has put only one shot on goal n the first halves of its past two matches. It had none against Miami. Atlanta United finished with five, most coming in the final minutes, including Miranchuk’s goal in the 84th.

It’s been an issue for years with the team to Valentino’s chagrin. The coaching staff preaches to the players to get off to fast starts. The players have confirmed that. That Atlanta United started slowly again after the poor performance against Nashville was puzzling.

“I believe you work hard and show up every single day to the highest standards you can set, and from there, that is where luck happens,” he said.

After the Red Bulls, Atlanta United’s remaining matches are at Philadelphia, which is in the final playoff spot with 33 points, at home against Montreal (31 points) and the Red Bulls, who are in fifth place and will be competing to earn a home playoff seeding, and at Orlando, which like the Red Bulls may also be competing for a top-four seeding.

Atlanta United will need to play with the same energy it showed in the final minutes against Miami, rather than the lifeless showing in its previous 165 minutes, to improve the probability of making the playoffs.

“The fight of the team showed in the way we ended the game considering everyone was tired,” midfielder Jay Fortune said postgame Wednesday. “I think it was a little unfortunate because we feel like we could’ve won the game and should’ve won the game and we didn’t. I think in the next game against the Red Bulls we are trying to take the same energy, the same fight, and trying to take the goals with us because you can’t win if you don’t score.”

Miranchuk star-struck. Miranchuk is an enthusiastic fan of rap music. Offset is among his favorite rappers. He said he couldn’t believe that the Atlanta-based musician hit the Golden Spike before the match.

“I was like, ‘you kidding me?’” Miranchuk said when he was told Offset would be at the match.

Offset received the gift of a Miranchuk jersey after the match.

Amador growing. Pedro Amador earned his first assist for Atlanta United on Saba Lobjanidze’s opening goal in the 56th minute. Amador also used his body to block a shot that had gotten past Brad Guzan deep into the second half to keep the match at 2-1 and set up Miranchuk’s moment.

“He’s continued to grow into that position and grow within the group and understand how we want to play and play to his strengths but at the same time understanding the responsibilities of the left back within our system so that part has been really good,” Guzan said after the match.

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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule

Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in U.S. Open Cup