Gressel's first MLS goal gives Atlanta a point in Portland

Starting Lineup

On a Sunday afternoon in Portland, in front of 21,144 people and the kind of crowd that makes every loose ball feel heavier, Atlanta played one of its more complete road games of its expansion season. Tata Martino’s team had the ball. It had the lead. It had enough control to make the draw feel smaller than the performance.

Instead, it left with a 1-1 result against the Portland Timbers.

On a Sunday afternoon at Providence Park, Atlanta United played one of its most assured road matches of the young season. The setting was difficult, the crowd was full, and Portland had enough attacking talent to punish any loose stretch. Atlanta still spent much of the afternoon looking like the team in control.

By the end, the numbers told two truths at once. Atlanta had 70 percent of the possession. Portland still finished with 13 shots to Atlanta’s seven. Atlanta had the ball for long stretches, but Portland had enough danger to keep the match from becoming Atlanta’s.

1st Half

Portland started the match through Diego Valeri, and Atlanta’s first task was to take the game out of the Timbers’ preferred rhythm.

That meant surviving the early noise without dropping too deep. Atlanta did that. The visitors found enough possession to play through the first half rather than simply defend it, with Carlos Carmona and Jeff Larentowicz giving the back line outlets and Yamil Asad, Miguel Almirón and Julian Gressel trying to connect the next pass forward.

Atlanta used the first half to grow into the match. The ball moved through midfield often enough to keep Portland from turning the afternoon into a siege, and the longer the half went, the more Atlanta looked like a team capable of taking something from the trip. Portland still had the pieces to cause problems. Fanendo Adi gave the Timbers a target up front. Valeri worked as the connector underneath. Sebastián Blanco and Dairon Asprilla gave Portland runners who could turn possession into pressure quickly.

Atlanta’s first real complication came in the 27th minute, when Michael Parkhurst was shown a yellow card. For a captain and center back, that changed the way the rest of the half had to be managed. Parkhurst could still organize the line, but he had a smaller margin of error in recoveries and duels.

Eight minutes later, Atlanta had a second important player in the book. Carmona was cautioned in the 35th minute, leaving both the back line’s organizer and one of the midfield screeners on yellow cards before halftime.

That was the balance of the first half. Atlanta had enough of the ball to keep the match from becoming a Portland wave. Portland had enough attacking quality to make every Atlanta turnover feel dangerous. And with Parkhurst and Carmona already cautioned, Atlanta had to keep playing aggressively without giving the referee another decision to make.

The first half ended 0-0 in the 46th minute. Atlanta had enough of the ball to keep Portland from turning the match frantic, even with Parkhurst and Carmona both carrying yellow cards.

2nd Half

Atlanta needed less than a minute after halftime to turn control into a lead.

Larentowicz started it on the left sideline, stepping into a Portland pass and sending a cross into the box toward Villalba. Villalba let it run past him. Gressel arrived behind the play and finished with his left foot to the near post.

The goal came in the 46th minute. It put Atlanta ahead 1-0 and gave Gressel the first MLS goal of his career.

For Atlanta, it was the kind of sequence that had been available if the final pass arrived cleanly. One interception gave Larentowicz space. One run from Villalba pulled the ball through the box. One late arrival from Gressel turned the play into a goal.

Atlanta’s lead only lasted 3 minutes. In the 49th, Guzmán sent a free kick into the box. Ridgewell got to it first and headed home to level the score at 1-1.

Portland then took the next yellow card of the match. Guzmán was booked in the 53rd, giving both teams cards in central areas. Portland made the first change in the 61st, bringing on Darren Mattocks for Dairon Asprilla. Atlanta waited until the 72nd for its first sub, when Michael Ambrose replaced Mark Bloom. In the same minute, Vytautas Andriuskevicius was shown yellow.

In the 74th, Adi nearly gave Portland the lead, but Kann kept Atlanta level with a diving left-handed save.

Atlanta still had chances to win it. Gressel and Villalba each forced saves from Gleeson in the final 15 minutes, keeping Portland from settling fully after the equalizer.

Martino made his second change in the 77th, bringing on Kenwyne Jones for Villalba. Portland’s Roy Miller was booked in the 83rd. Atlanta used its final substitution in the 85th, with Kevin Kratz replacing Gressel.

The last stretch gave Atlanta possession, but not the goal it needed. Gleeson handled the late chances. Kann’s save on Adi remained the stop that protected the point. The final whistle blew after 94 minutes, and Atlanta left Providence Park with a 1-1 draw.

Closing Thoughts

A point at Providence Park usually travels well. Atlanta left with one and still had reason to be bothered.

Atlanta had 70 percent possession, scored first, and spent long stretches making Portland defend. Gressel’s first MLS goal gave Atlanta the lead seconds after halftime. Ridgewell’s header took it away 3 minutes later.

Kann saw the performance the same way.

The numbers kept the result from becoming simple. Portland still finished with 13 shots to Atlanta’s 7. Kann had to make 4 saves, including the diving left-handed stop on Adi in the 74th. Gleeson made 3 saves of his own, including late stops on Gressel and Villalba.

For an expansion team, there was value in that kind of road performance. Atlanta went across the country and looked comfortable in a difficult venue.

It left Portland with proof that its game could travel. It also left with the harder lesson. Good soccer still has to be finished.