Atlanta United crushes Jacks’ Open Cup dreams

Atlanta United puts Jacks’ Open Cup dreams aside

CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE

Charlotte Independence midfielder Gabriel Obertan dribbles past Atlanta United defenders during Charlotte’s 3-0 loss in Kennesaw, Georgia, May 7. The loss eliminated Charlotte from the US Open Cup.

The Jacks went to Georgia, looking for a game to steal.

But, as with the Devil in the classic Charlie Daniels song, they finished second in the US Open Cup Round of 16 behind Atlanta United. There would be no Cupset in the David vs. Goliath match.
Nick Firmino led Atlanta with two goals in the 3-0 victory, with former Charlotte FC striker Daniel Rios scoring the third.

Even with a completely different lineup from its regular MLS starters, Atlanta dominated the game with 65% possession. The Five Stripes outshot the Jacks 22-7, 7-2. The balance shifted a bit when first team starting center back Noah Cobb replaced Stian Gregersen due to injury. Gregersen, who was to replace Miles Robinson in the middle of Atlanta’s defense, had just returned from meniscus surgery.

“I felt like we handled the game pretty decently in the first half,” Independence coach Mike Jeffries said. “They had some good chances, but when we got our form back I thought we did well.”

Independence did it. Even though Atlanta dominated possession, Charlotte looked for opportunities on the counterattack. Their two best chances in the first half came when Luis Alvarez and Juan Obregon were each eased by fouls outside the top of the box, giving up a free kick in place of what could have been a better shot on goal .

Alvarez was bundled out by Dax McCarty as he was chased by Atlanta defenders after getting behind them with the ball and rushing toward the goal.

Charlotte fans in attendance expressed their belief that the second call should have been a penalty and replays showed that Obregon’s feet were just inside the line when he was taken down. But there is no VAR in the Cup tournament, so the call remained as made.

It was a physical match, especially on the Atlanta side, which was whistled for 19 fouls compared to only four for the Jacks.

Charlotte’s previous two Cup games, both against teams of less quality than a watered-down MLS team, had ended in penalties, and this one, where Austin Pack had already made big saves to the Jacks, looked like it might happen. to that too.

Two minutes after Atlanta goalkeeper Josh Cohen made a save on Gabriel Obertan’s powerful shot, United’s Nick Firmino, who had scored 16 goals for Atlanta’s MLS Next Pro team and one for the No. 1 team last season, scored on a cross from Matthew Edwards on the field. RIGHT. Widely marked, his low drive towards the left post from 13 meters left Pack no chance.

“They came out in the second half, and we didn’t react well on a couple of plays and obviously conceded,” Jeffries said. “Then when we had to run after the match, it was difficult. We’ve expanded and it’s obviously a really good group.

Firmino’s second goal came in the 71st minute. Atlanta increased the pressure after scoring the first goal, then intensified it by bringing on first-team starters Brooks Lennon and Caleb Wiley in the 64th. Wiley contributed to Firmino’s second goal after taking the ball to the baseline on the left and back into the middle.

Rios’ goal came from the strength of Xande Silva who held defenders on his back inside the right side of the box before passing the ball for an easy shot for the Mexican striker. Rios holds the Charlotte FC record with four goals in a match against Philadelphia in 2022.

Next up for Independence, who currently sit in third place in the USL League One standings, will be a 1 p.m. match at American Legion Memorial Stadium on May 11, against power forward Madison FC.

“We’ll look back and feel like it was a really good year as far as just playing a game against an MLS team,” Jeffries said. “I felt like we were as prepared as we could be for tonight. I think we’ve definitely developed some confidence and self-belief from our Open Cup journey. We will be a little disappointed to see this end, but we will move forward and focus on the USL Jagermeister Cup and the regular season.

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