If the 2001 Atlanta Silverbacks can get the result that they received Sunday, they will go undefeated and win the A-league Title this season. However, if we see a similar performance against an A-league side (the game was against a D3 team) wins will be few and far between. Fortunately, the Silverbacks feature an extremely talented squad, and it is only a matter of time before they begin to progressively gel together. Hopefully that progress will begin Saturday night, when they face last Sunday's opponent, the Greenville Lions.
The Silverbacks come into Saturday's match looking for an answer in net. Eric Simms looked good at times last Sunday, and sporadic at others. The Silverbacks have a myriad of goalkeepers vying for Saturday nights starting spot, but there is no word on which one will get the start come Saturday. There are also some expected changes in the starting lineup, and injured defender Danny Care, is questionable for tomorrow night. Fortunately, Atlanta will be facing a D3 team.
It is games like these where an A-league team can get away with a bit of experimenting on the field. But as Atlanta learned last Sunday, too much of it could cost a team a victory.
Granted, a win is expected for Atlanta even if they play a sub-par match. But they need to begin playing quality soccer or the season will not come easy when they begin to play A-league teams. The Silverbacks open up their A-league schedule against the surprising Nashville Metros next Saturday. Coach John Dugan fully expects his side to begin to play their game against Greenville, and carry it into the A-league season.
As for Greenville, they have their reasons to be confident too. After nearly beating Atlanta last Sunday, they have supposedly added 4 new players to their starting lineup. Jerome Lee Yaw is looking to build on his one goal performance of last Saturday and is a true threat up front. But the real question is whether the Lions have the fitness and depth to compete with Atlanta, particularly on the road. An 0-2 start to their US Open Cup Qualifying all but eliminates the Lions from the group stage. Meanwhile, a 2-0 start for Atlanta in the USOC should have them ready for their upcoming qualifiers (and A-League games) when they take on the Nashville Metros May 5th and 18th, as well as Richmond May 25th. Look for both teams too come out wanting this match badly.
Greenville may be satisfied with a tie on the road, but Atlanta is looking for nothing but a win, and quite a few goals as well.
