Player Impressions: ATLUTD 1-3 Cincinnati

Hoyos had very little to do in the first half, but Cincinnati's first shot on target ended up in the net. He was caught in an awkward position alongside Mihaj when Denkey opened the scoring. Hoyos later made an important stop against Denkey, with Alonso heading the bouncing ball away from goal. He got a hand to Barlow's shot but couldn't keep it out. Atlanta's defensive failures contributed to all three goals, although Hoyos didn't do enough to overcome them.

Jacob had some good combinations with Almirón and Galoppo early in the match. He regularly pushed forward on the right, but his crossing was poor. Several promising attacks ended when he couldn't get the ball past the first defender or aim it to a teammate. He made a good sliding tackle to prevent a Cincinnati cross in the second half, but most of his contributions disappeared after halftime. His yellow card also means he will miss Atlanta's next match through suspension.

Alonso spent much of the night away from his usual position. He regularly pushed up the pitch, although the purpose of those movements wasn't always clear. His positioning left Atlanta's back line looking disorganized. He made an important defensive play when he headed Denkey's effort over the crossbar, preventing Cincinnati from doubling its lead. His individual interventions were useful, but his positioning contributed to a defensive structure that never looked settled.

Báez was one of Atlanta's better performers. He read Cincinnati's attacks well in the first half, repeatedly shutting down advances on his side and moving inside to provide additional coverage. He contributed well going forward, including the cross that started the sequence leading to Almirón's lone goal. But Cincinatti figured out they couldn't get past him then switched their attack to the other side of the pitch. He had to come off after landing awkwardly on his ankel, which puts Wednesday's match into doubt.

With Alonso out of position, Mihaj was Atlanta's deepest defender. He looked frustrated at times but generally handled his responsibilities well. He made several good recovery runs, including a late intervention to stop a Cincinnati break down Atlanta's left. There were good individual defensive moments, but they weren't enough to prevent Cincinnati from scoring three times.

Amaro provided Atlanta with some much-needed defensive presence in central midfield. Cincinnati struggled to advance directly through his area during the first half and increasingly attacked down the wings. He helped move possession across the pitch, which was an important part of Atlanta's early approach. He looked more comfortable controlling the midfield than Muyumba did alone, but needed another player closer to him to make that control effective.

Galoppo struggled to influence Atlanta's midfield. His distribution was inconsistent, and he often seemed to be running without finding useful positions. He had a powerful shot blocked in the first half and forced a good save with an effort from outside the penalty area shortly after halftime. Those were among his few meaningful contributions. Atlanta needed more from him in possession, particularly when the team struggled to connect its midfield with the attack.

Muyumba advanced the ball on several occasions and found himself in useful attacking positions. He had an opportunity in the first half after Báez released him down the left, but his pass back toward Almirón resulted in a shot wide of goal. He had a weak effort blocked after Jacob played the ball back to him inside the box. He wasn't making many obvious mistakes, but his inability to combine consistently with teammates limited his effectiveness. Overall, it was an underwhelming performance.

Fortune had very little influence on the match. Starting on the left, he struggled to get involved in Atlanta's attacking play and offered little defensively. Atlanta needed more movement and creativity from that position, particularly as Cincinnati began taking control of possession. He was replaced by Miranchuk in the 56th minute without having made a meaningful impact.

Almirón covered an enormous amount of ground and was frequently involved in moving Atlanta forward. He combined well with Jacob early and made several good defensive recoveries, including winning possession in midfield before releasing Embolo. His problems are in the final third, where poor decisions and misplaced passes repeatedly ended promising attacks. His equalizer was the important exception. After his initial attempt struck Embolo and came back to him, he showed enough composure to find a gap through the crowd of defenders.

In this final push, Atlanta needed Embolo to be a significant attacking presence. He was instead largely invisible. He had a few useful moments receiving possession and drawing fouls, but rarely threatened Cincinnati's goal. His involvement in Almirón's equalizer earned him an assist after the ball rebounded off him, although it wasn't a particularly deliberate piece of creation. With Atlanta struggling to generate opportunities, Embolo offered very little of the attacking threat expected from a center striker.

Miranchuk entered in the 56th minute with Atlanta trailing and moved to the right, allowing Almirón to switch to the left. He was expected to provide some creativity, but did not have much effect on the match. He participated in a few combinations around Cincinnati's penalty area without creating a clear opportunity.

Picault brought some energy to Atlanta's attack. He nearly created an opportunity for Almirón with a curling pass and later forced a save with a shot from inside the penalty area. He was one of the few players who looked capable of producing something during the closing minutes. His introduction in the 86th minute came far too late. Another ten minutes might have given him a better opportunity to affect the match.

Sanchez helped stabilize Atlanta's midfield after entering in the 86th minute. He provided another player capable of moving possession forward and gave the team some of the support it had been missing centrally. Unfortunately, he arrived too late to have enough influence on the result. Atlanta had needed that adjustment considerably earlier.

Santos entered in the 92nd minute and immediately made himself a nuisance to Cincinnati's defenders. He drew a foul from Barlow and provided another attacking target as Atlanta desperately searched for an equalizer. His enthusiasm was useful, but he had almost no time to contribute. His late introduction was another example of Atlanta waiting too long to change its approach.

Atlanta began with a recognizable plan, moving the ball across the pitch and attempting to control possession. That approach lasted roughly 15 minutes before the team began relying on individual efforts. Cincinnati gradually took control, and Atlanta struggled to establish any sustained attacking rhythm.

Miranchuk's introduction in the 56th minute was Martino's first adjustment, but Atlanta needed more substantial changes prior to and after that sub. The team was visibly tiring, the midfield was struggling, and Cincinnati was finding increasing amounts of space. Martino waited until the 86th minute to introduce Sanchez and Picault, then brought on Santos in stoppage time. Those changes simply came far too late to make an impact.