Welcome back 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. Both New York teams got late equalizers. New England have got problems. And Nashville have got a shot.
To read up on the West, check out Joe’s rundown.
Joseph Lowery
Atlanta United
Result: 2-2 draw at New York Red Bulls
What a win for Atlanta United! To grind it out like that against a good team on the road and score a dramatic winner in stoppage time, clawing themselves back above the playoff line once aga… Wait, hold on, I’m being told the Red Bulls scored again?
The Five Stripes are all over the place, man.
They had a bad loss to Nashville last weekend, an encouraging-ish draw against Miami midweek, and now a soul-crushing draw against Red Bulls on Saturday where they conceded in the 97th minute. Honestly, it’s a credit to Atlanta that they stayed in this match and earned a point – they had no business taking anything from Harrison, NJ. They were outshot 17-10, which doesn’t look terrible on its own, but then you look at the xG and realize that RBNY won that matchup 2.63 to 1.47, and that includes an Atlanta penalty kick. Atlanta have won the xG battle just four times since the start of June.
Of all the teams in the Eastern Conference playoff bubble (I’m not including the Revs in this for… obvious reasons), I have the least confidence in Atlanta to step up in moments that matter.
Charlotte FC
Result: 4-0 win vs. New England Revolution
Charlotte were legitimately awful going forward and lapse-prone at the back for the last several weeks. I guess the solution all along was just to play New England? Curb-stomping a dysfunctional team is usually a great way to get things back on track.
And get back on track they did. Tim Ream started at left-back, Liel Abada put his name on the scoresheet once again, and Pep Biel traded in the invisibility cloak for a Nimbus 3000, logging a goal and an assist and creating six chances. The game really broke open, though, when Patrick Agyemang came off the bench in the 63rd minute. Watch him bully the Revs’ entire defense here:
Pep Biel on the scoresheet for the first time in MLS. 👏 pic.twitter.com/6EyD430sPF
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) September 21, 2024
The striker made it 3-0 a few minutes later, spanking the cover off the ball with a finish that matched the untethered aggression of his earlier assist.
New England are hapless enough that this section should probably include a caveat, and Charlotte will have several much tougher tests down the stretch. But getting a boost in confidence was just as important as the three points, and finally getting their attack firing on all cylinders will do them a world of good. Also, just hand the keys over to Agyemang full-time at this point. He’s a better fit and more goal-dangerous player than Karol Swiderski.
Chicago Fire
Result: 2-0 loss at CF Montreal
I think we can officially start writing the eulogy here, people.
This was another forgettable game in another forgettable season for a franchise that has become painfully forgettable. Frank Klopas’ 3-4-3 shape and the talent within it did very little to unbalance their Canadian foes Seven points out of the playoff spots, I think we can call it. Time to move on to 2025 and let Gregg Berhalter run the team – I think he’d absolutely crush it.
