Post by Futsal Gawdess on Apr 22, 2018 7:04:44 GMT -5
Andrew Carleton debuts with late PK, salvaging tie for Atlanta United 2 with unbeaten Louisville
LAWRENCEVILLE — Andrew Carleton’s highly anticipated Atlanta United 2 had a little bit of everything.
Some good. Some bad. Some ugly.
The best came in the 91st minute when the 17-year-old Homegrown player from nearby Powder Springs drew a foul in the Louisville City FC box, converted the ensuing penalty kick and salvaged a 1-1 tie with the visiting United Soccer League leaders in front of 4,135 fans at Coolray Field on Saturday night.
It was the third straight tie for United 2 after a season-opening win, and it also put the first blemish on Louisville’s record — the visitors came in 4-0 and had allowed just one goal.
Carleton’s goal sent the fans home happy and pulled out a tie against a veteran team.
“(Louisville’s) a good team,” said Carleton, who has been on the bench for Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United previously this season. “They’re older and experienced. They’ve been in that position before. For a lot of us, we’re a very young team.
“I thought we handled it well. Playing against the best team in the league and going down 1-0 in the second half is not easy to be able to battle back. I thought we responded really well and fought hard.”
Carleton was one of three teenagers in the United 2 lineup, joining 17-year-old Christopher Goslin and 16-year-old George Bello against an opponent with nine starters who were 25 or older. It was a physical match and the talented midfielder faced the toughest bounce-back task of all.
He sky-jacked a penalty kick in the 58th minute and Louisville took advantage in the 65th, getting a goal from Cameron Lancaster for a 1-0 lead.
“Things happen,” Carleton, who made his MLS debut last May as a 16-year-old, said of his PK miss. “We’ve got to go get it back. Nothing we can do about it. I was just focused on getting the equalizer.”
The game-tying goal was created completely by the 5-foot-7, 145-pounder, who slipped past a defender on the left side and was taken down just inside the box in the 91st minute. Head coach Scott Donnelly didn’t waste any time sending his young star back out for a second PK with the game on the line.
Carleton didn’t miss this time, going low and left.
“Andrew has the ability to be a difference maker,” Donnelly said. “He missed one (PK). In the end, he was able to make the difference and have the confidence to step up and take the second one, which I think is one of the things in the club we all love about him. But Andrew also knows he can play so much better. He’s a little bit short of some sharpness. That’s an honest assessment of it. He’s a very good player who can make the difference.
“It wasn’t probably his top performance tonight. But ultimately, when it’s a team like the team we played against, it’s part of the process of what we’re doing and what he’s doing as a young pro. He’s 17 years old.”
Atlanta United’s first Homegrown signee agreed with his coach’s opinion. He slipped and injured his elbow at one point, he had a few turnovers and he made some nice plays, too.
It’s clear the coaches have confidence in his abilities — he took most of United 2’s free kicks, in addition to the two PKs, as well as its corner kicks.
“It was a sub-par night,” Carleton said. “I could have been cleaner on the ball. I could have been more dynamic in the final third. But the more games we play, the more sharp I’ll be. Hopefully when the next game I’ll play, I’ll be able to do a little better. It was a hard-fought game by the team. The team did well.”
United 2 (1-0-3) doesn’t get much rest before returning to Coolray Field for a Tuesday night match against another experienced foe, the Charleston Battery.
LAWRENCEVILLE — Andrew Carleton’s highly anticipated Atlanta United 2 had a little bit of everything.
Some good. Some bad. Some ugly.
The best came in the 91st minute when the 17-year-old Homegrown player from nearby Powder Springs drew a foul in the Louisville City FC box, converted the ensuing penalty kick and salvaged a 1-1 tie with the visiting United Soccer League leaders in front of 4,135 fans at Coolray Field on Saturday night.
It was the third straight tie for United 2 after a season-opening win, and it also put the first blemish on Louisville’s record — the visitors came in 4-0 and had allowed just one goal.
Carleton’s goal sent the fans home happy and pulled out a tie against a veteran team.
“(Louisville’s) a good team,” said Carleton, who has been on the bench for Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United previously this season. “They’re older and experienced. They’ve been in that position before. For a lot of us, we’re a very young team.
“I thought we handled it well. Playing against the best team in the league and going down 1-0 in the second half is not easy to be able to battle back. I thought we responded really well and fought hard.”
Carleton was one of three teenagers in the United 2 lineup, joining 17-year-old Christopher Goslin and 16-year-old George Bello against an opponent with nine starters who were 25 or older. It was a physical match and the talented midfielder faced the toughest bounce-back task of all.
He sky-jacked a penalty kick in the 58th minute and Louisville took advantage in the 65th, getting a goal from Cameron Lancaster for a 1-0 lead.
“Things happen,” Carleton, who made his MLS debut last May as a 16-year-old, said of his PK miss. “We’ve got to go get it back. Nothing we can do about it. I was just focused on getting the equalizer.”
The game-tying goal was created completely by the 5-foot-7, 145-pounder, who slipped past a defender on the left side and was taken down just inside the box in the 91st minute. Head coach Scott Donnelly didn’t waste any time sending his young star back out for a second PK with the game on the line.
Carleton didn’t miss this time, going low and left.
“Andrew has the ability to be a difference maker,” Donnelly said. “He missed one (PK). In the end, he was able to make the difference and have the confidence to step up and take the second one, which I think is one of the things in the club we all love about him. But Andrew also knows he can play so much better. He’s a little bit short of some sharpness. That’s an honest assessment of it. He’s a very good player who can make the difference.
“It wasn’t probably his top performance tonight. But ultimately, when it’s a team like the team we played against, it’s part of the process of what we’re doing and what he’s doing as a young pro. He’s 17 years old.”
Atlanta United’s first Homegrown signee agreed with his coach’s opinion. He slipped and injured his elbow at one point, he had a few turnovers and he made some nice plays, too.
It’s clear the coaches have confidence in his abilities — he took most of United 2’s free kicks, in addition to the two PKs, as well as its corner kicks.
“It was a sub-par night,” Carleton said. “I could have been cleaner on the ball. I could have been more dynamic in the final third. But the more games we play, the more sharp I’ll be. Hopefully when the next game I’ll play, I’ll be able to do a little better. It was a hard-fought game by the team. The team did well.”
United 2 (1-0-3) doesn’t get much rest before returning to Coolray Field for a Tuesday night match against another experienced foe, the Charleston Battery.