Player Impressions: ATLUTD 2-2 Miami

Hoyos had little to do for much of the night. He appeared to misjudge Casemiro's header on Miami's opening goal, while Atlanta's defensive breakdown left him exposed against Luis Suárez on the second.

His final minutes changed what he'll be remembered for. Hoyos denied Messi with a falling kick save before somehow keeping another attempt from crossing the line. Atlanta needed both stops to leave Miami with a point.

Jacob contributed to several of Atlanta's better passing sequences, and stopped an early Miami attack with a well-timed sliding tackle. He put in a great cross which put Atlanta ahead. But his attacking involvement could not account for the space Miami found on his side.

He was caught out too often and struggled to contain runners when Miami moved forward. His poor backpass shortly before halftime could also have created another chance. Replacing him with Matt Edwards was the correct decision.

Díaz was not as commanding as he has been in his other appearances. An early hospital pass placed Reilly in trouble, and Suárez left him on the ground during the move that produced Miami's second goal.

He had several intelligent defensive moments. Díaz tracked Messi inside the box, broke up a through ball intended for Suárez and cleared the ball after Hoyos' late goal-line save. He recovered as the match continued, but this was an uneven night.

Alonso lost the aerial duel with Casemiro on Miami's opening goal. He wasn't able to organize his back line all that well. They looked disconnected. He appeared increasingly frustrated with the players around him.

His performance improved throughout the night. In those chaotic few stoppage-time minutes, he came up big with a block which ensured the draw. He celebrated it like a goal which would have lift his players around him. He finished the night playing with the authority Atlanta needed from him.

Báez's first touch deserted him several times, including one sequence when he failed to control Hoyos' pass and kicked the ball directly out. Those mistakes interrupted an otherwise good performance.

His passing was much better than his first touch. Báez stopped Ian Fray inside the box, switched play cleanly, and helped Atlanta move forward along the left. His distribution and attacking movement continues to improve game-to-game.

He struggled to influence Atlanta's attack or provide control in midfield.

His mistimed challenge on Suárez brought a yellow card, and he continued playing too aggressively after receiving it. Sanchez showed clear discomfort following the earlier head-to-head collision and eventually signaled that he could not continue. The injury forced the sub, but Atlanta's midfield already needed a change.

Reilly found space and was involved in some of Atlanta's better first-half passing sequences. He wasn't able to provide enough defensive coverage when Miami attacked through midfield. One careless pass went directly to Messi in Atlanta's half.

As is becoming clear, the match tends to move too quickly for him. Reilly was involved throughout, but Atlanta could not control the midfield with him on the pitch. With midfield options arriving and both Alzate and Gill playing better, his opportunities to retain this starting role are nearly gone.

Muyumba produced several recoveries he had little right to make, beginning with his early chase and clean tackle on Messi. He pressed relentlessly, attacked loose balls, and twice created shooting opportunities from outside the box.

And yet, Miami still controlled midfield for much of the match, which forced Muyumba to play deeper than he probably wanted. His play improved after Alzate and Amaro entered. It was a good performance without being one of his best.

Almirón delivered another strong performance and scored by surging into the box after St. Clair pushed the ball away. He worked along the left, dropped into midfield and tracked runners when Atlanta needed help defensively.

His game also appears to be changing. He relied less on long sprinting runs and contributed more through combinations and distribution, with Embolo giving him a reliable target ahead of him. The missed penalty remains a blemish as the attempt was poor. At that point, Atlanta needed him to convert.

Miranchuk was too quiet during the 60 minutes. The right wing is not his most comfortable role, but he just wasn't involved.

He came alive after Atlanta changed its midfield. Miranchuk combined well with Edwards, Alzate and Embolo, made more purposeful runs and began delivering dangerous balls into the box. His pass to Picault started the move that produced Atlanta's second penalty. The final half-hour showed what Atlanta needed from him during the first 60.

Embolo had an outstanding debut. He dropped deeper to get balls, kept his head on a swivvel looking for teammates, and made constantly good runs leading where he wanted passes. His movement and willingness to combine appeared to raise the play of those around him. He committed enough fouls in the first half to recieve a final warning from the ref, but calmed down in the second.

Miami struggled to handle his strength and movement, bringing him down repeatedly. Of note on the second pen, Embolo immediately spoke to Almirón indicating he wanted the shot. His pen was a calm walk-up, with a strong shot. It was a performance that showed how he could become a phenomenal signing for Atlanta.

Amaro played as the defensive midfielder and handled a considerable amount of work. When he won or collected the ball, his first thought was often to move into open space then find an open teammate.

He also recognized opportunities to get forward himself. Amaro broke into the box making two blocked attempts. He didn't stop when the first shot didn't come off. His performance created genuine interest in what he can provide in a start.

This was Alzate's best performance in quite some time. He helped Atlanta regain control of midfield. He made several recoveries to collect the ball under pressure, even doing so calmly in the box. He had an eye towards playing the ball forward.

Alzate outperformed both midfielders he replaced. His movement and combinations with Muyumba, Miranchuk, and Edwards gave Atlanta a much stronger second half. If Sanchez is unavailable for the next match, Alzate should start in his place.

Picault made a meaningful impact despite entering late. Picault provided useful work at both ends of the pitch.

He chased down a dangerous Miami break near Atlanta's box. With a nasty movement, he stripped the ball from behind. Further up the pitch, he played a stinging ball into the box for Embolo, who drew Atlanta's second penalty. He will be hard to contain coming on as a late sub.

Edwards gave Atlanta more on the right than Jacob had provided. He carried the ball forward, continued his runs, and looked comfortable playing a more attacking role.

His attacking movement looked more natural than in some of his previous matches. Edwards worked hard to retain the ball even when double-marked and helped Atlanta in attack. His last major contribution was pulling at Silvetti's shirt and shoulder, earning him a yellow.

It didn't look good for Silvetti, and we hope the staff holding his shoulder was just precautionary.

Martino recognized that Atlanta was losing the midfield and changed both players in the 56th minute. Alzate and Amaro gave the team greater defensive resistance while moving the ball forward more effectively.

He then replaced the struggling Jacob with Edwards and introduced Picault late. Each sub improved Atlanta's collective play. Martino's decisions gave Atlanta the opportunity to recover a point in a match that was starting to run out of time.