Atlanta United triumphed over the Colorado Rapids 4-0 in front of their home supporters with a dominant performance all around.
The first chance of the game came off a slip by Lalas Abubbakar. But both teams saw shaky moments in the first few moments, giving the ball away in dangerous areas to make it anyone's game.
Colorado tried on several occasions to get behind Atlanta through long balls but were unsuccesful with Atlanta center-back Juanjo Purata winning several aerials duels. Atlanta's high defensive line allowed the Rapids to spring forward on several counter-attacks in the first half.
But a moment of brilliance finally came in the 29th minute as Thiago Almada gave Atlanta United the lead. The Argentine curled in a free kick from distance that left Rapids Goalkeeper William Yarbrough rooted to the spot, giving Atlanta a 1-0 lead. The Argentina international redeemed himself after his botched penalty kick attempt by scoring his third free kick of the season.
The Rapids tried to respond as Danny Levya tried his luck from distance but Atlanta goalkeeper Quentin Westberg made a comfortable save.
The first half was dominated by Atlanta, with 70% possession and outshooting Colorado 14 to 1. Atlanta also found a lot of joy through the middle of the field with Almada and Araujo linking up to create several good chances. The Rapids will were fortunate to go into halftime only down by one after the missed penalty by Almada and the amount of good looks Atlanta had at goal.
The early moments of the second half featured the Rapids upping the tempo just a bit, forcing Atlanta to stay alert defensively. Head coach Gonzalo Pineda opted for a change early on, bringing on striker Giorgos Giakoumakis who created a few half-chances with his strong hold-up play.
From the 70th minute onwards, the game began to open up. Each side had a few chances on either end, forcing their respective goalkeepers to make saves. The game started to get a little tight for Atlanta as they wanted to see out the win with Colorado putting more players in attack.
Atlanta doubled their lead with a deserved goal from Luiz Araujo in the 80th minute. The Brazil international placed the ball nicely across the goal to give the hosts a two-goal cushion. The second goal had been coming for Atlanta. Araujo's performance deserved a goal and he got it.
Atlanta then found their third of the game when an Almada shot from out wide was deflected around the six-yard box before substitute Tyler Wolff put the ball in the back of the net just after coming into the game.
Giorgos Giakoumakis scored the fourth goal when he chipped Yarbrough and blasted the ball into the back of the net after flying past him. The Greek international scored his sixth goal of the season and proved to be effective when subbed on.
Atlanta United player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Quentin Westberg - 8/10 - Was mostly a spectator in the first half but saved one shot from distance. Made a few really good saves to in the second half to keep a clean sheet.
LB: Ronald Hernandez - 6/10 - Great challenge near his own box to spring Atlanta forwards on a counter-attack. Was up and down the left-hand side contributing both in attack and defense.
CB: Juanjo Purata - 7/10 - Was dominant in the air defensively and stopped several counter-attacks by the Rapids. Had a few headers go just over the bar on Atlanta's corner kicks.
CB: Miles Robinson - 8/10 - Made a great last gasp challenge to deny an early opportunity.
RB: Brooks Lennon - 7/10 - Was active down the right-hand side throughout the game, produced a couple of half-chances by cutting in on his left foot and shooting from distance. Picked up an assist.
DM: Santiago Sosa - 6/10 - Bad giveaway in first 3 mins and was shaky in the opening moments. Recovered later on and had a quiet but effective game cleaning up in the midfield.
DM: Matheus Rosseto - 6/10 - Had a quiet but solid game and didn't put a foot wrong.
LW: Derrick Etienne Jr. - 6/10 - Was quiet in the first half and had a shot go just wide near the end of the first 45.
AM: Thiago Almada - 9/10 - The only thing keeping his rating from a 10/10 was the missed penalty. The midfielder was everywhere for the Five Stripes in attack and scored another spectacular free kick.
RW: Luiz Araujo - 8/10 - Had a very active first half that included a shot that led to a penatly kick. Was also good tracking back in defense. Ended his goalscoring drought with a well-placed finish to seal the win with one of his better performances for Atlanta.
ST: Miguel Berry - 5/10 - Was a bystander for most of the game and was subbed out early in the second half.
Substitutes
ST: Giorgos Giakoumakis (53' for Berry) - 8/10 - Just after coming on, he displayed his great hold-up play and had a shot go just wide later on in the game. Set up the third goal with a nice ball out wide to Almada and scored a terrific solo goal
DM: Franco Ibarra (74' for Sosa) - 6/10 - A quiet cameo but was effective in the midfield.
ST: Machop Chol (84' for Araujo) - N/A
CB: Luis Abram (84' for Rosseto) - N/A
AM: Tyler Wolff (84' for Etienner Jr.) - 7/10 - scored one of the easiest chances he'll ever get and was bright when he came on.
Manager
Gonzalo Pineda - 7/10 - Left many surprised with his starting lineup but it worked quite well in the first half. The substitution to bring on Giakoumakis was masterful as it created more opportunities for Atlanta.
Colorado Rapids player ratings (3-5-2)
GK: William Yarbrough - 5/10 - Saw Almada's penalty fly over the bar and had a few good saves to keep the Rapids in the game but was unable to stop a flurry of goals going in late in the game.
CB: Danny Wilson - 4/10 - Struggled to keep up with Atlanta's possession based game.
CB: Andreas Maxso - 5/10 - Was probably the best of the three center-backs that started the game for Colorado.
CB: Lalas Abubakar - 5/10 - Slipped in the first minute that led to a chance for Atlanta but it luckily led to nothing.
LM: Alex Gersbach - 4/10 - Got stuck in with challenges on the wing against Brooks Lennon but struggled to contain Araujo as he dribbled past him several times.
CM: Danny Levya 6/10 - Unfortunate to concede penalty early on. Had a shot from distance but didn't do much after that. Was a bright spot for Colorado alongside Ronan.
CM: Ralph Priso-Mbongue 4/10 - Picked up an early yellow card and struggled to contain Almada and was subbed off.
CM: Connor Ronan 7/10 - Found space took the Rapids' second shot of game that led to their first corner early in the second half. Was one of the lone bright spots for the Rapids.
RM: Sam Nicholson - 4/10 - Didn't really do much and was ineffective.
ST: Kevin Cabral - 4/10 - Had a minimal impact on the game with little service.
ST: Michael Barrios - 4/10 - Like Cabral, he had little service and therefore wasn't able to do much.
Substitutes
LW: Jonathan Lewis (64' for Cabral) - 4/10 - Had one shot but was ultimately ineffective.
CB: Moise Bombito (64' for Abubakar) - 6/10 - Was active in the back line and made a few good challenges.
LM: Calvin Harris (79' for Priso-Mbongue) - N/A
CM: Yosuke Hanya (88' for Levya) - N/A
CB: Sebastian Anderson (88' for Wilson) - N/A
Manager
Robin Fraser - 5/10 - His lineup kept them in the game in the first half, but his substitutes didn't really do much.
Player of the match - Thiago Almada (Atlanta United)
This article was originally published on 90min as Atlanta United 4-0 Colorado Rapids: Player ratings as the Five Stripes dominate in deserved win at home.