With Andrew Gutman added to the lengthy injury list and a long weather delay just three minutes in, Atlanta United had a fair bit to deal with during their away trip to Nashville SC on Saturday.
But despite the remarkable circumstances of the match, not least the fact it ended after midnight with only the hardiest of fans (a lot of them Five Stripes) remaining inside GEODIS Park, it was actually a very ordinary performance from Gonzalo Pineda's men.
As they have done throughout this season, Atlanta United relied on a scintillating attacking line-up including the likes of Thiago Almada, Luiz Araujo, and Marcelino Moreno to provide a crutch for their faltering defense.
An error in position and some more lackluster defending in their own box meant Almada and Dwyer's goals were only equalizers in Tennessee. While he's searching for solutions in Atlanta United's own box, Pineda is beginning to accept he may have to double down on his team's attacking principles.
“I think we been struggling with that,” Pineda said of the Five Stripes defense. “We know we need to adjust that. I feel like it’s not from moments where we are organized, it’s more moments where we are not organized and a little bit of ball-watching inside the box. We’ve been talking a lot about that urgency, especially inside the boxes on both ends, but I mean, a good way to come back to that is obviously clean up those soft goals we’ve been giving up.
