The final home match of the regular season ended the same way many of the matches have ended this season: with Atlanta United squandering the lead only to come back and win in dramatic fashion. The difference on Saturday night was that Atlanta won an important match. The 2-1 victory over the New York Red Bull was the ninth of the season for Atlanta, but more importantly, it allowed the Five Stripes to stay alive in the Major League Soccer Eastern Conference playoff picture.“We can only control what we can,” Atlanta United head coach Valentino said about his team’s playoff chances. Atlanta United needed to win Saturday night in order to have any chance of making the postseason. They still must win in Orlando on Saturday, Oct. 19. Atlanta head coach Rob Valentino said something was different about the environment tonight. “It felt different,” he said. “The energy felt different, the intensity, the commitment in each other. It just felt different.” Valentino credited the play of right-back Ronald Hernandez and Jamal Thiare’ as an example of players showing up in big moments for the club. Starting right-back Brooks Lennon was unable to play due to yellow cards from a prior match. Atlanta United (9-11-14 overall) hosted the playoff-bound New York Red Bull Saturday night.  During the early minutes of the match both teams had good opportunities to score, but failed to. Even with five minutes of stoppage time added neither team took advantage. It took a 97th-minute goal by Tyler Wolff, his second of the season, to ultimately secure the victory. They were eliminated if they didn’t win. The highlight of the second half may have come in the 68th minute when the teams exchanged pushes and shoves following a stoppage in play for a foul. The foul resulted in a penalty kick taken and made by midfielder Alexey Miranchck, which gave Atlanta a 1-0 lead in the 72nd minute. The goal was the fourth in nine games for Miranchuck, who joined the team midway through the season. Miranchuk nearly scored another a few minutes later, but that shot went over the goal. Mirnachuk also assisted on the Wolff goal on a long pass through the Red Bull defense.It looked like New York found a way to tie the match in the 80th minute before the goal was called offside following a review. They would tie the match at 1-1 in stoppage time however. Following the match the players and their families walked around the field in order to thank the fans for their support this season. Players like Saba Lobzhanidze and Brad Guzan taking the victory lap with their children in their arms was a sight to see. Miranchuck was awarded the man of the match and hammered home the final regular season golden spike of the season.On a night where Georgia Tech was playing Duke at Bobby Dodd Stadium, and a number of concerts were taking place downtown, 43,428 people came to see Atlanta United end its regular season home schedule in style. Chants of “ATL, ATL, ATL”, could be heard outside Mercedes-Benz Stadium following the victory.There will have to be a number of losses (D.C., Montreal, and Philly) and a win (Atlanta in Orlando on “MLS Decision Day”, Saturday, Oct. 19. The season isn’t over and Saturday’s night’s must-have three points are the reason why.“We can only control what we can,” Valentino said. The post ’We can only control what we can’: Atlanta United is still alive in playoff race appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.