ECHO Everton reporter Chris Beesley picks out some moments missed from the Blues' 2-2 draw with Manchester United in their final Premier League Summer Series game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta
After a couple of difficult defeats in the Premier League Summer Series, Everton concluded their time in the USA with a spirited 2-2 draw against Manchester United, coming from behind twice. Here are some potential moments missed from the game at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Heaven and Hell
It was a hellish finish to the game for Red Devils substitute Ayden Heaven when was helpless to prevent the ball rebounding off him into his own net for Everton’s second equaliser. It was a bizarre goal as Blues substitutes Tyler Onyango and Dwight McNeil combined but just as the latter was trying to turn and fashion a chance, the Manchester United duo did the rest.
It was Amad who made the initial interception, but in what seemed like some kind of retribution for his outrageous dive to win the first half penalty that referee Thomas Bramall admitted at half-time he should not have awarded, the winger inadvertently deflected the ball on to Heaven, giving Altay Bayindir no chance in the United goal. The question we might ask though is whether the unfortunate 18-year-old centre-back was still rattled from a robust challenge from the Blues’ new £27million striker Thierno Barry.
The France Under-21 international, snapped up from Villarreal, has been restricted to a trio of appearances off the bench so far but David Moyes has been pleased with the early signs from the 6ft 5in prospect. Indeed, there was a flashpoint here where big Barry, was reminiscent of one of his manager’s fellow Scots and former players as he ruffled a few feathers.
Duncan Ferguson, once the Birdman of Barlinnie was one of the most physical centre-forwards in the game and when you’re a frontman of such towering stature, you are bound to play with a few flailing elbows. One from Barry, as he shrugged off Heaven, caught his opponent flush, and while it did not look deliberate, it acted as a warning sign to Premier League opponents next season.
Full steam ahead
We’ve been hearing familiar sounds from back home throughout this trip and it’s been surreal at times to have ‘We’re Forever Everton’ and Z-Cars blasting out from the P.A. systems at the MetLife Stadium, New Jersey; Chicago’s Soldier Field; and now the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta. What was a welcome change at the newest of these three venues was not to be stuck behind windows in an indoor press box, but there were other elements that made this 71,000 capacity $1.6billion venue quite different than the grounds this correspondent reports from on the Premier League circuit, namely the retractable roof (which was closed) and the air conditioning, which Everton’s James Garner pointed out made for a better tempo of play from both sides.
One unique feature though was the train horn sound effect that blasted out when Garner kicked off the game. The same noise is used when local Major League Soccer side Atlanta United score a goal or NFL outfit Atlanta Falcons score a touchdown.
As it states on the latter’s website: “Atlanta was founded in 1837 at the end of the Western and Atlantic Railroad Line and became known as Terminus – The End of the Line.
“From its earliest days, Atlanta was the intersection of commerce. Of social growth. Of progress.
“When Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened in 2017, a train horn was implemented during gameday as a symbol of Atlanta’s role as the Gate City of the South. Each horn blast honours our city's history and the spirt of unity and community that defines us.”
Caught on camera
Another stunning element of the venue is ‘The halo,’ a 58-by-1,100-foot ring shaped video ring beneath the roof and it was from here that close up images of spectators caused lots of merriment on the ‘fan cam.’ As well as plenty of Evertonians and Manchester United followers, there was a significant dollop of attendees wearing replica shirts of other teams.
When such patrons were spotted, some good-natured pantomime-style booing ensued with the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea all featuring while both sets of supporters joined in when a couple of young lads popped up wearing Liverpool jerseys! What caught my eye though was the sight of some U.S. based Evertonians holding up their phones with the ‘Premier League corrupt’ slogan used by Blues in protest after their initial 10-point points deduction in November 2023.
It was a familar face too, given that it was Strohmann Breeding from Lexington, Kentucky, with his friends, who I had been chatting to at the Everton fan welcome event at Atlanta’s Limerick Junction the previous evening. The ECHO wrote an article on Strohmann back in January 2023 when he fulfilled his lifelong quest to watch his team in the flesh at Goodison Park, over a year on from being denied first time around.
Star of the show
While Mr Breeding and his buddies made their point – they were also joined by a pal who is a fan of Leeds United, who Everton face in their first Premier League game next season – the star of the show on the fan cam was another of their fellow Blues. I hope it is not discourteous to describe him as a husky gentleman of substantial carriage, he was wearing a cowboy hat and sporting a waxed moustache and quickly became quite the centre of attention when he reacted enthusiastically to being in the spotlight.
Twirling the ends of his tash and enthusiastically ‘giving it the big ‘un’ as former Blues boss Frank Lampard might say, he appeared to revel in the attention and the cameras kept coming back to him because he was the gift that kept on giving. I’d love to know who he was, where he comes from and what his Everton story is because he was quite the character.