The phrase "home is where the heart is" certainly applies for the MLS champion Atlanta United. They club is hoping the comforts of home is the perfect elixir as they open their MLS home schedule at 5 p.m. against expansion FC Cincinnati on Sunday.
The Five Stripes, currently battling in CONCACAF Champions League play against Monterrey, dropped their MLS season opener to D.C. United last Sunday in the nation's capital.
While United lost by a larger margin in their 2018 opener at Houston, they righted the ship and eventually brought the city of Atlanta its first major sports championship since 1996. Unfortunately, fans have panicked a bit as the team has struggled out of the gate with new coach Frank de Boer.
Technical director Carlos Bocanegra tried to comfort the masses as he joined the Morning Show on Friday, telling John Fricke and Hugh Douglas that there are no plans on making significant changes to the structure of the team. However, the club will need to make adjustments moving forward.
Bocanegra did want fans to know that he appreciates their passion.
“No, this is great actually," he said of the interest shown by fans this year. "It shows the intelligence and the interest from the fan base on how prominent the team is here, in the city, and people are speaking up. I think it’s a good, healthy discussion."
"Obviously we're not panicking. We’re sticking to the plan. We’ve come up against a really good team in Monterrey, and we go straight into Cincinnati here. It’s been a hot and heavy start for us.”
How different is this team from the championship run?
“I don’t think it’s a whole lot. I thought Frank (de Boer) was excellent when he came in and spoke to the group and said he wasn’t going to try and reinvent the wheel. He wanted to make some minor, little adjustments and tweaks. Sometimes the formation or the set-up is a tad bit different but overall, the style of play is not changing.”
Will there be anything special for the home opener on Sunday as far as to honor the MLS champs?
“I have heard there’s something going on, yes, that's for sure. But I haven’t really asked. I think it's going to be exciting. It's our first home match and 70K will be in the building. The guys are excited and, while we haven't gotten off to the greatest start, we want to put our best foot forward for the fans. We love playing here, we’re back home in our stadium because everyone feels comfortable here."
In Sunday's home opener against FC Cincinnati, Bocanegra wants United to get aggressive, and attack. They also need to cut down on the mistakes. Doing both of those things should result in the team's first MLS victory of the season.
"We got to take it to them. We have to concentrate on ourselves and play our game and make sure we have 10-or-11 have good, individual performances. We'll always create chances and we'll feel very good about the outcome."
"We've had a few individual errors and that happens. We have to correct those, and we're addressing those internally and making sure we put our best foot forward on Sunday."
