Last Saturday night, the Atlanta Silverbacks faced off against a pesky Toronto Lynx side at Dekalb Memorial Stadium who came in confident that they could get a good victory. And after 94 minutes of hard fought play between the two teams, they had come up just one goal short of a decent result. And without the hustle and persistence of the 'Backs throughout the match (key elements that Atlanta has lacked in previous seasons), they may well have escaped the Peach State with four points.
But it was not to be, as the 'Backs overcame two one goal deficits to squeak out a 3-2 overtime win. If the match showed anything it was that the 'Backs are not where they want to be yet, but they are going to be a quite a force when they do get there.
The 'Backs came into the match with the injury bug still plaguing their starting eleven as defenders Jason Annicchero and James Wall (expected back next week) and midfielder Carlos Parra all missed yet another match due to injuries from preseason training. The Silverbacks injury problems in the back became apparent early on when speedy Toronto striker Irasto Knights began to wreak havoc on the 'Backs defense.
Early on, Knights got the ball in the right corner of the box with the defense at his back. But just before he could crack a shot into Bryheem Hancock's net, Gilbert Jean-Baptiste slide tackled the ball away and the ball rolled towards the goal, but the ball came off the charging Hancock and came to rest inside the 6. Knight and Hancock both scrambled to their feet simultaneously and Hancock managed to push the ball over the end line before Knights could bury it into the open net. Knights had another shot in the 15th from the right side of the box but Hancock easily smothered it.
In the 19th minute defender Milan Kojic full volleyed a corner kick that was pushed away by Hancock and fell to Knights' feet with his back to the goal, but Knights. back heel shot was easily cleared by the 'Backs. After Toronto's furious offensive pressure in the first 20 minutes, the 'Backs finally began to possess the ball in the Lynx's half of the field. In the 29th minute, newly signed John Akin took a Brian Piesner shot out of the air, turned on his defender and blasted a shot over Toronto keeper Theo Zagar, but Akin's shot was foiled by the crossbar and the match remained scoreless.
Despite being only inches from falling behind 1-0 on the road, the Lynx kept their composure and took the lead in the 30th minute of play when a Robbie Aristodemo throw in found the feet of Niki Budalic who's 25 yard blast from the right half found left inside netting. After the goal, the 'Backs picked up their play and managed to gain even just seven minutes later. The play began after Zagar saved another Akin shot, but the ball deflected off Zagar to the feet of Brian Piesner in the left half who found newly signed Velko Iotov at the penalty spot. Iotov's header sailed just over the head of an outstretched Zagar and dropped into the net. Atlanta continually gained momentum as the half continued and were finally beginning to look composed and organized as the first forty-five minutes of play came to a close.
The second half began with the 'Backs substituting Ryan Leib for Phillipe Godoy in the midfield. Atlanta's leading scorer Iggy Moleka (who the Lynx shut down most of the match), nearly scored in the 55th when he raced into the left side of the box with a defender on his right side and blasted a shot right at Zagar from a tough angle.
Nine minutes later John Barry Nusum entered the match in favor of Moleka. In the 68th minute of play Atlanta midfielder Nate Heterington beat two defenders in the right half and streaked into the box. The former San Diego Flash MVP served Akin in the box but once again Akin hit the post and Nusum was unable to corral the rebound.
Six minutes later the visitors had the lead when a 25-yard free kick from Niki Budalic bounced off the hands of a diving Hancock and trickled into the net. The Lynx dropped back on defense after that, but the hustle of left midfielder Brian Piesner resulted in a tie game with just 13 minutes to play. With the ball in the right half of the box, Lynx defender Brian Ashton lost the ball to Piesner who quickly blasted the ball into the right upper-90 to deadlock the match at 2.
The Lynx saw their hopes for victory take a huge blow in the 87th when Santillana was issued a red card for a hard tackle in the Lynx's half. Iotov nearly scored again with his head in the 89th, but Zagar pushed his attempt over the goal at the last moment. Then in injury time, Piesner found Baptiste for a long shot from just outside the 18-yard box that bounced off a Lynx defender and deflected inches wide of the net.
The overtime began with Jordy Broder entering the match for Atlanta. Three minutes into the OT, an excellent run by Broder down the left touchline nearly resulted in a goal when he found Nusum inside the box. But Nusum's his shot sailed just wide of the net. In the 94th minute of play Atlanta finally finished the Lynx off. After the 'Backs won a corner kick, Piesner's corner found the feet of Baptiste who's shot just barely squeaked between Zagar and a Lynx defender and into the net for the victory.
Although the 'Backs did get max points out of Friday night's match with Toronto and have 19 points in four games, the match showed clearly that Atlanta has a long way to go. The 'Backs looked impatient and direct at times and were outplayed by the Lynx in the first half.
With an upcoming match against a solid Montreal Impact side on Saturday, Atlanta will hope to have worked the kinks out, particularly in the back as James Wall is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday. With a 4-0-0 start, the 'Backs are off to their best start in franchise history, but their play must improve if they expect their season to be a success. However, with the talent on the squad, it seems that it is only a matter of time before the 'Backs finally begin to fire on all cylinders. And when that happens, they will certainly be one of the strongest teams the A-league has to offer.
Man of the Match: Brian Piesner
Without Piesner's hustle, Atlanta's 3-2 victory would have never been possible. Since being released by the Charleston Battery, Piesner has scored two goals and assisted on four in just three matches. The addition of Piesner to the lineup has added yet another dangerous component to a magnificent Atlanta attack that has scored 12 goals in 4 matches thus far.
Lineups
Atlanta : Hancock, Moleka (Nusum 63rd), Cooks, Akin, Baptiste, Kraemer (Hetherington 59th), Fletcher, Iotov (Broder 90th), Godoy (Lieb 45th), Woods
Toronto : Zagar, Reda, Kojic, Mossovat (Smith 74th), Ashton, Diplacido (Santillana 72nd), Aristodemo, Vignjevic (Thomas 68th), Mattacchione, Budalic, Knights
Stats Shots Saves Fouls Offsides Corners
Atlanta 16 3 23 4 7
Toronto 9 3 16 3 5
Goals
30th- Budalic (Aristodemo)
37th- Iotov (Piesner)
74th- Budalic (FK)
77th- Piesner (UA)
94th- Baptiste (Piesner)
Cards
8th- DiPlacido
40th- Reda
49th- Knights
54th- Moleka
74th- Baptiste
83rd- Mattacchione
86th- Santillana (RED)
