Thanks to two strong transfer windows in a row, Atlanta United entered the 2024 season with sky-high expectations. They'd added Xande Silva, Saba Lobjanidze and Tristan Muyumba the previous summer and strengthened their center back unit with Bartosz Slisz and Derrick Williams (after losing USMNT defender Miles Robinson) over the winter.
One of the best attacks in 2023 was poised to improve with more chemistry under its belt in year two, while the defense finally seemed to have the depth needed to preserve leads.
With a +5 goal differential that's tied for second-best in the league, many of those hopes have come to fruition this year. But one troubling trend continues: a lack of road wins.
The Five Strips compounded their troubles on Matchday 9 by blowing a two-goal home lead and settling for a draw against a Philadelphia Union team Taylor Twellman calls "The Bad News Bears." For Twellman, those dropped points at home won't get it done if Atlanta want to compete for a top seed in a loaded Eastern Conference.
