MLS Eastern Conference: Inter Miami’s touchdown, Atlanta United hop the line & more on each team

Welcome back to the final(!) regular season edition of our two-part weekly MLS column here at Backheeled, where we break down all 29 teams in the league. 

Joe’s got the West. I’ve got the East. Gregg Berhalter’s got an ax. Atlanta United’s got a heart rate to steady. Let’s do this thing.

To read up on the West, check out Joe’s rundown.

MLS Western Conference: LAFC snatch the top seed, concern for Colorado Rapids & more on each team

We’re dissecting every MLS team in the Western Conference.

BackheeledJoseph Lowery

Atlanta United

Result: 2-1 win at Orlando City

The Five Stripes had the most dramatic Decision Day in MLS. Needing a win, a loss from either DC or Montreal, and some help from Cincy in a game against Philly, Atlanta found themselves up 2-1 in the 89th minute in Orlando while not knowing the score of the DC match. Duncan McGuire scored a late equalizer, seemingly ending their season. *Filip Dijuc voice intensifies*

VAR disallowed the goal for a handball, DC got smashed, and Atlanta are improbably the ninth-place team in the East. Dax McCarty’s career lives to fight another day. It was a nice moment for a team that hasn’t had many of those this year. 

Look, when 18 of 29 teams make the playoffs, it’s not that special. You don’t even have to be a good team to get in, just a less-bad team than some other actually bad teams. And over the last month, Atlanta were simply less bad than DC and Philadelphia, who repeatedly shot themselves in the foot to watch their postseason hopes evaporate like they were among the unfortunate 50% of the population when Thanos snapped. 

All this is to say, I don’t think Atlanta are a particularly good team, and I don’t think they’ll make it past the Wild Card round on Tuesday night. Montreal are much better and playing at home. But it’s MLS, baby! Wilder things happen on the regular. Like my boy Justin Bieber once said, “Put your tooth under your pillowcase. No, I won't, I won't ever, ever let you down. Like a seesaw lets you down, you know why. Cause we ain't on the playground no more baby!”

Dang, I must have quoted the wrong JB song from my extensive memorized repertoire. Let’s try that again.

“I will never say never. I will fight ‘til forever.”

Pin that one up in your locker room, Atlanta. 

Charlotte FC

Result: 3-0 win at DC United

If I had to pick one team in the East to go on a surprise run right now, it would be Charlotte. They have a draw and four wins from their last five games with a +10 goal differential and three clean sheets. In that stretch, they’re tied with Minnesota for the league-best xGD, behind only Columbus in goals scored, and behind only LAFC in expected points. They’re peaking at the perfect time.

Their 3-0 breeze past DC United exemplified exactly what this Dean Smith team is all about.

They kept Christian Benteke quieter than most teams have done all year, stayed compact, and murdered DC on the break. Tim Ream has added such a nice ball-progressing dimension on the left. It’s allowed Kerwin Vargas to play more vertically, making similar runs in behind to what we’ve seen from Antonee Robinson with the U.S. men’s national team.

It took them a while, but Charlotte have finally found their groove. They have a clear identity. They have a strong defense. They have an elite shot-stopper in Kristijan Kahlina. And in Patrick Agyemang, they have a game-changer up top. It’s a recipe that looks perfect for a deep playoff run.