Can Atlanta United Turn Around their MLS Season After Latest Setback? | OneFootball

Things have gone from bad to worse for Atlanta United.

Despite spending upwards of $30 million to bring in striker Emmanuel Latte-Lath and former superstar Miguel Almiron ahead of the 2025 campaign, the season has quickly fallen off the rails.

In Saturday’s Matchday 9 clash with the Philadelphia Union, the club sputtered once again, falling 3–0 in a demoralizing effort, with goals from Quinn Sullivan, Danley Jean Jacques and Tai Baribo.

Meanwhile, Atlanta mustered just 0.86 xG on 12 shots, only three of which hit the target.

Heading into the match, Atlanta United had already reached a club-worst start to a season, and the issues have crept up nearly everywhere in the squad, from poor service to Latte-Lath, to injuries and new head coach Ronny Deila’s team selection, among others.

Now, they sit 12th in the Eastern Conference on nine points, with hopes of an MLS Cup Playoff berth slipping before the campaign reaches its one-third mark.

“I think we lose the ball too much in difficult situations, easy situations,” Deila said post-match. “We are underperforming as a team and also individually, so that's something I have to myself in the mirror, take responsibility for.”

“Too many [players] were not at the level they can be. We have to stop there and get the confidence and get together and build each other up, because we can be hard on each other.”

Against Philadelphia, Deila opted to start Almiron on the right wing, with Jay Fortune on the left, while sitting Saba Lobjanidze, who had previously been one of the club’s more consistent contributors in transition, even as the team struggled to create attacking opportunities.

Without Lobjanidze, the Five Stripes struggled to string opportunities together, while Almiron continued to drift inside and infringe on spaces controlled by either center midfielder Bartosz Slisz, or striker Aleksey Miranchuk, who often dropped deeper.

How to get the best out of Almiron has been a consistent issue through the first nine weeks, all while Latte-Lath has a silver-lining just five goals in nine games.

Deila Keeping Atlanta United's Optimism

Atlanta United head coach Ronny Deila is staying optimistic about the Five Stripes amid struggles / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The loss is much more than just three points dropped, tactical missteps and a second game without a goal. It’s a statement of where the club is at, and whether the team has enough to return to the levels they showcased near the end of the last decade, winning MLS Cup in 2018.

“[The players] are  very disappointed,” Deila added about the game and season. “I think, you know, they are trying a lot and maybe over trying sometimes. As I said, I have to take my share of that responsibility, things that we can improve. and I see things that we need to develop.”

Yet, as dire as things are, Deila is not a rookie coach to these types of situations. While he had relative success and an MLS Cup title during his time with New York City FC, he has dealt with poor spells of form before and is maintaining an optimistic outlook, even as many around him struggle to remain hopeful.

Missing out on critical early season points isn’t where the club wants to be, but the roster is brimming with qualities just seeking a solution, and an extra effort they’ve lacked through the first portions of the season.

They’re not quite at the bottom, but they’re certainly only looking one way: Up.

“We have to in a way almost be happy that we are in this situation...It could be much worse, we could sit injured on the sideline, or you could be out of work, or whatever. Tough times come in life, and this is when you learn from each other, and you learn yourself, and then when you come out of these periods,” he said, with hopes of beginning to turn things around on Matchday 10 against Orlando City SC.

“It's really bonding and also building yourself as a human being...“I'm enjoying this. It's a lot of suffering, but at the same time, there is only one way forward and that's sticking together, and it's about seeing the positives in the situation.”