Fort Lauderdale Hold Atlanta United II in Penalty Thriller
Fort Lauderdale played out a 1-1 draw with Atlanta United II in MLS Next Pro's Group Stage at Chase Stadium on Thursday night. The match required a penalty shootout to decide a winner, and Fort Lauderdale emerged victorious after converting five of their spot-kicks while Atlanta United II managed only three.
Things came to a head early in the contest when I. Zeltzer-Zubida gave the hosts the lead in the 45th minute plus three. T. Vorenkamp had already collected a yellow card in the 12th minute, and the home side pressed forward with purpose. By then, Atlanta United II had seen M. Saja booked in the 28th minute and S. Morrison follow suit three minutes later.
Atlanta United II found their equaliser through P. Weah in the 78th minute, and the game opened up after that. Both managers made several changes around the hour mark: G. Riveras, M. de Paula, M. Saja, and S. Pita all came off for the hosts, while D. Chong-Qui, I. Suarez, and J. Convers were sent on by Atlanta United II. D. Chica picked up a yellow card in the 72nd minute before Weah's goal.
And here's the thing about the penalty shootout — it stretched to eight rounds before Fort Lauderdale secured the win. D. Sumalla and M. Cisset both scored for their respective sides in the first round, but A. Kovac and I. Zeltzer-Zubida missed for Atlanta United II. C. Dunbar, S. Morrison, and D. Sibrian converted for Fort Lauderdale, while A. Flores, N. Jena, and D. Chica scored for Atlanta United II. P. Weah was denied in the eighth round, and Fort Lauderdale had done enough.
To be fair, the statistics tell an interesting story about how the match unfolded. Fort Lauderdale enjoyed 53 per cent possession and registered 102 attacks compared to Atlanta United II's 97. The hosts managed three shots on target from ten attempts, while the visitors could only find the back of the net once from thirteen shots off target. Atlanta United II earned six corners but had four yellow cards to the hosts' three.
The result leaves Fort Lauderdale eighth in the table with 24 points from 24 games — three wins and 21 defeats. Atlanta United II sit third with 42 points from 25 matches, having won 13 and lost 12. The visitors had won their previous five games before this encounter, including a 5-1 victory over Orlando City II, while the hosts have endured a difficult campaign with no draws all season.
