Atlanta United must “think like champions” if they are to correct their form, says striker Giorgos Giakoumakis.
The Five Stripes face the Chicago Fire this weekend, as they look to return to winning ways after three games without a victory.
Indeed, they lost to FC Cincinnati last time out, and Giakoumakis believes Atlanta must correct a mentality issue.
“One simple thing I can tell you is that we have to stay concentrated,” said Giakoumakis.
“Think like champions, because you cannot drop this amount of points when you are leading a game.”
Atlanta are seventh in the Eastern Conference, six places and two points better off than the Fire, who have lost two of their last four games.
“Number one, there are no easy matches in MLS,” said Atlanta coach Gonzalo Pineda. “It is always difficult to play in that stadium; sometimes it can be windy. They have very good players, and they have a very good coaching staff that prepares them to compete at the highest level.
“The process we have, we expect it to translate to three points. At times, you have to create certain situations on the field to spark a reaction, and some toughness or some resilience.
“That will bring more discussions and more accountability… as much as it hurt me and my coaching staff (losing five points), you can see it hurt them. They were not happy with that, and that is why I think they will have a good response against Chicago.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Chicago Fire – Brian Gutierrez
Gutierrez is the Fire’s leading scorer this season, with three goals, which have come from five shots on target.
Atlanta United – Giorgos Giakoumakis
Giakoumakis has scored four goals in three career matches against Chicago, scoring at least once in each match. Four players have scored in their first four regular-season matches against the Fire, including just one, Cory Burke (five straight from 2018-21), since 2011.
MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW
Atlanta have won only four of their last 39 away matches in all competitions (D14 L21) dating back to early April 2022. The Five Stripes are winless in their last nine away from home (D4 L5).
Chicago’s 4-0 loss to Real Salt Lake last week equalled the largest margin of defeat in a home match in club history (4th time in all competitions). The Fire have lost six of their last 10 home matches in all competitions (W3 D1) after losing two of their previous 17 at home.
The home side is unbeaten in the last 11 meetings between the Fire and Atlanta United (W9 D2). In fact, the only road win in the 14 regular-season meetings was a 2-1 victory for Atlanta in Chicago in 2018.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Chicago Fire – 37.9%
Atlanta United – 33.3%
Draw – 28.8%
Dortmund have flown under the radar to reach Champions League final, says Terzic
Borussia Dortmund have benefited from going under the radar during their "unbelievable road" to the Champions League final, according to head coach Edin Terzic.
The Black and Yellow will play either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the showpiece on June 1, following a hard-earned 2-0 aggregate win over Paris Saint-Germain in the last four.
Dortmund came into this season on the back of a bitter Bundesliga title loss on the final matchday of the previous campaign, with a 2-2 draw against Mainz handing the title to Bayern on goal difference.
While Terzic's side have been unable to launch a genuine challenge on the domestic front this term - currently occupying fifth place and 24 points adrift of newly crowned champions Bayer Leverkusen - it has been a different story in Europe.
"There is always a team that no one has on their radar that reaches the quarter-finals or the semi-finals," he said. "We wanted to be the team that were not necessarily on anyone's radar. That road has been unbelievable."
Indeed, it has. Dortmund began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat at PSG and goalless draw at home to Milan, but recovered to top Group F before seeing off PSV and Atletico Madrid in the round of 16 and quarter-finals respectively.
The 1997 Champions League winners then produced a defensive masterclass across both legs of their semi-final with PSG, to reach their first final since 2013.
"After the second matchday, almost no one believed in us any more," said captain Emre Can, who made his 50th Champions League appearance during the second leg at Parc des Princes.
"We only had one point after two matches, but we kept believing and that was the most important thing. Keeping two clean sheets in two matches against PSG is no mean feat."
Mbappe admits 'I didn't do enough' following PSG's Champions League exit
Kylian Mbappe shouldered the blame for Paris Saint-Germain's 1-0 defeat to Borussia Dortmund on Tuesday, which saw them exit the Champions League semi-finals 2-0 on aggregate.
Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG at the end of the season, was unable to inspire the Ligue 1 champions as they fell short in their latest quest to land the European crown.
The France captain registered a game-high three shots on target and 12 touches in the opposition box during the second leg at Parc des Princes, but his tally of just 51 touches overall was the second-lowest recorded by any PSG player.
And the 25-year-old admitted he should have made a more significant contribution towards his team's cause.
"I tried to help my team as best as I could, but I didn't do enough," he said. "I'm the guy who should score goals and be decisive. When things are good, I take all the limelight and when they are not, you have to take the shadow.
"That's not a problem. The first one who should have scored tonight was me. That's life, and we have to move on - me and the team."
PSG enjoyed the lion's share of possession (69.5 per cent) during the second leg and registered four times as many shots as their opponents did (30 to seven), hitting the woodwork four times.
"In decisive Champions League matches, when you're not effective in both boxes, it's difficult to get through to the next round," Mbappe added. "Even more so when we're talking about a final.
"We're certainly disappointed, but it's not all doom and gloom. We need to build on that and keep working, because I'm sure we'll get there."
Luis Enrique 'proud' of PSG despite Champions League semi-final exit
Luis Enrique expressed his pride at the efforts of his Paris Saint-Germain side, despite their Champions League exit at the hands of Borussia Dortmund.
The Ligue 1 champions were knocked out in the semi-finals on Tuesday after a 2-0 aggregate loss to the Bundesliga giants, having hit the woodwork six times over the two legs - making it a record tally of 14 for the campaign - and managed 31 attempts at Parc des Princes.
PSG missed a golden opportunity to reach their second Champions League final, but it is not all doom and gloom after a season of transition with a new coach.
The Ligue 1 title is already in the bag with three matches remaining, and they have a Coupe de France final showdown with Lyon to come later this month.
"We were not inferior over the two legs, but football rewards those who score - not those who hit the woodwork," Luis Enrique said.
"My goal was to be fighting for all the titles. Tonight I'm proud of my team, of all the players."
PSG have now lost all six legs of their three two-legged Champions League semi-finals, after double defeats against Milan in 1995 and Manchester City in 2021.
The year they reached the final, in 2020, they beat RB Leipzig in a one-off semi-final after COVID-19 disrupted the season, before losing out in the final to Bayern Munich.
This season started with a new coach in Luis Enrique and without Lionel Messi and Neymar, as club president Nasser al-Khelaifi put an emphasis on building a team over individual talents.
While not always brilliant, PSG have looked like an organised outfit and the coach said he was already working on building a team without Kylian Mbappe, who is widely expected to leave at the end of the campaign.
"The players and coach gave their all," Al-Khelaifi said. "Congratulations to Dortmund, we deserved better. It's a tough game. I'm proud of my team, the youngest in Europe.
"We've reached the semi-finals three times in five years. That's not our objective; it's still the final. That's soccer; you have to accept it and sometimes it's not fair. We'll accept it."
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