Atlanta United v Seattle Sounders: Deila questions character after 'soft' defeats

Atlanta United head coach Ronny Deila described his team as "soft" and possessing "no character" after slumping to another defeat to Charlotte FC last time out. 

Deila watched on as his team squandered a 1-0 lead to lose 3-2 against the Crown, with that defeat their 11th of the season, leaving them 13th in the Eastern Conference. 

Atlanta had impressed in their last league game, registering an expected goals (xG) total of 1.54 from their 19 shots to Charlotte's 1.46 from their eight attempts. 

And with a clash against high-flying Seattle Sounders up next this weekend, Deila urged his team to improve their all-round display, particularly in defence. 

"Soft," Deila said of how he would describe the manner in which his side conceded against Charlotte. "Just look at the goals. They had one in the first minute of the second half.

"I think they had 12 touches in our box. It's a one-two on the side and the ball comes in and they score. The second goal, they come in through the centre of the pitch. 

"We scored two goals, we could have scored more. You cannot think that you need to score four goals every time to win a football match. It's the same story. Soft. 

"We showed no character. This is what I would describe it as. That's on me. You can blame everybody, but in the end it is me who is responsible for this."

Seattle, meanwhile, have continued to build on their Club World Cup campaign by going on a five-game unbeaten league run, leaving them fourth in the Western Conference. 

But they were made to work for their latest MLS victory, twice being pegged back by the San Jose Earthquakes before Pedro de la Vega sealed the win in the 69th minute. 

While favoured by Opta's pre-match simulations to emerge victorious here, Sounders head coach Brian Schmetzer was wary of the threat Atlanta pose despite their recent form.

"They went back to a back four and he [Deila] has been searching for the right formula and the right pieces. I don't know if their new centre-back will play," Schmetzer said. 

"But it's just getting [Miguel] Almiron to play with [Emmanuel] Latte Lath and getting some of those guys in sync. But they are still a dangerous team. They can score goals.

"But their defending has been kind of their Achilles heel, and we'll look to try and exploit that this weekend."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atlanta United – Bartosz Slisz

Slisz has contributed to a goal in four straight regular-season home matches for Atlanta, and will be hoping to continue that run this weekend. 

Indeed, the only player with a longer streak for the Five Stripes since the start of the 2020 season was Thiago Almada, who contributed to a goal in six straight at home in 2023.

Seattle Sounders – Danny Musovski

Musovski played the role of super sub in Seattle's victory over San Jose, taking his tally to eight league goals for the season with his brace from the bench. 

He became just the second Sounders player to score two goals as a substitute in the last decade, after Jordan Morris did so against the Chicago Fire in March 2020.

MATCH PREDICTION: SEATTLE SOUNDERS WIN

Atlanta defeated Seattle in each of the last two meetings between the sides after going winless in the first four (D3 L1). The Sounders' only win over the Five Stripes was a 2-1 home victory in July 2019.

But Deila's team are struggling of late. They are winless in seven straight matches (D3 L4), having not recorded a victory since late May. Atlanta has just two wins in their last 17 matches dating back to the start of April (D6 L9).

Seattle, meanwhile, are unbeaten in five straight matches since returning from the Club World Cup (W3 D2), equalling the club's longest unbeaten run of the season. The Sounders have also scored three goals in each of their last three games.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atlanta United – 30.2%

Draw – 24.9%

Seattle Sounders – 44.9%