The Evening Tilt: Two Teams, Two Losses, One Building Problem

Two Atlanta teams played Wednesday night. Both lost. One of them ran out of season.

Atlanta United Eliminated. Thirty points, two matches left, a ceiling of thirty-six, and twelve Eastern clubs already above it. The cruelty is in the timing: Red Bull New York lost at New England on the same night, which is precisely the result Atlanta needed, and it arrived on the one evening Atlanta could not hold a lead for three minutes. Breel Embolo equalised in the 88th. A substitute who had been on the pitch five minutes won it in the 95th. Tito has been doing this subtraction in public since September, and he closes it tonight.

Hawks Miami arrived 0-4, the last winless team in the conference, and left with their first victory of the season. Atlanta led for four percent of the game. Not the fourth quarter — the game. The margin was built in the paint, 70-52, and on the glass, 52-40. Atlanta have been out-rebounded in all three games of this losing run, and have attempted fewer free throws than the opponent in all three. Simone's read is the one to have.

Why it matters Put the two side by side and the same sentence covers both.

Atlanta United have not won a football match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium since the 23rd of August. Tito laid that record out on Sunday — four wins, two draws, ten defeats in their own building, one point from the last six there.

The Hawks are 0-2 at State Farm Arena. Both of their wins this season happened in Orlando and in Charlotte.

Two franchises, two sports, two different kinds of trouble — one is a season concluded and the other is five games old — and neither of them can currently win a game at home.

What's next Both host, and both host somebody above them. Cleveland come to State Farm Arena on Thursday at eight, 3-1 and winners of two straight. Toronto FC come to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, having beaten D.C. United tonight to reach thirty-nine points — nine more than Atlanta United will finish anywhere near.

One more thing. Atlanta United's final match of the season, on the 7th of November, is away at Red Bull New York, the club holding the ninth and last playoff place in the East. The two sides are level on goal difference tonight, to the goal, both on minus sixteen. For about six weeks that fixture looked like it would decide the season. It will now decide nothing at all, which is its own kind of ending.