Atlanta could not have timed it well perfectly in claiming their first win in the last eight games than this showdown against FC Cincinnati. The Five Stripes managed to cut through the passing lanes and disrupted plays left and right – all while scoring well on all cylinders as they staved off a comeback attempt to win it by 4-2.

In a stretch that has seen a lot of drama unfold so far, it does seem that Atlanta is finally back to its winning groove. Fans are certainly looking forward to see them rise in the playoffs like they did last year, but now the job for the team is to get back on track in their games this season.

Nothing has been easy for Atlanta – everything had to be earned as the team needed a lot of harsh, yet inspiring talks to get them up and running for impressive performances. Now more than ever, this is a great sign that the club may well be back to race their way to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference standings.

A Progress to Remember

Atlanta head coach Ronny Delia can be remembered calling out his players as “soft” in the game considering how poorly they have played in the past few games. That message seems to have been heard loud and clear not just by the squad, but with the rest of the league as well.

“When you see that determination on set plays, when you see that people want to score, then you see a different team,” Deila said after Atlanta's first win since beating New York City FC on March 29. “You see that we want to clear the ball and we are first to the ball in the box. These kinds of things are key.

Beating everybody seems to be quite a promising challenge, and yet Atlanta took off even with all the pressure at hand as they have seen four different scorers bring in the thunder. Goals from Derrick Williams, Ajani Fortune, Bartosz Slisz, and Jamal Thiare all contributed to the massive victory by Atlanta.

By the Numbers

If you look at the stat sheet, you’d be able to say that Cincinnati would be the clear winner had it not been for the score. Cincinnati had a total of 29 shots attempted compared to Atlanta’s 12, and they even had three more shots on target at 10. Cincinnati also held the ball for 63% of the game and completed a total of 588 passes for 90% pass accuracy.

The only thing that was a win for Atlanta? Fewer fouls and zero yellow cards. The Five Stripes played the frustration game for Cincinnati, who only had goals in the second half of the game. This says a lot about the composed confidence that Atlanta has played with in this win compared to the previous matches.

“We just need to understand that we can beat anybody, but we can also lose against anybody. This has to be the minimum when we talk about the discipline, when we talk about the killer instinct inside the boxes. Then we can prove our style and our play going forward.”

Atlanta will now wrap up its three-game homestand against Orlando City tomorrow for a chance to get into back-to-back wins for the first time since the earlier games of the season.