Atlanta United Outshoot D.C. United 19-4, Hit the Bar Late and Settle for 0-0 Draw at Audi Field

Deep into stoppage time, Luke Brennan crashed the far post and powered a header toward goal. It smacked off the crossbar, a D.C. United defender hacked it clear, and the whistle went. That was Atlanta United's whole night in about three seconds.

Atlanta took 19 shots to D.C. United's four, held 69.7 percent of the ball and still walked out of Audi Field with a 0-0 draw on Saturday night. Neither side found the net, and neither side won. It was the second scoreless draw between these clubs this season, after they also finished 0-0 in Atlanta on March 21.

All Atlanta, No Payoff

D.C. actually landed the first real chance. In the eighth minute, the hosts broke quickly after an Atlanta giveaway, Louis Munteanu found Nathan Ordaz, and Ordaz curled a right-footed shot from the left side of the box high and wide. That was about as dangerous as D.C. got for a while.

Atlanta settled in and started knocking. Breel Embolo had an effort from the middle of the box blocked in the 10th minute after Sean Johnson pushed an Elías Báez cross into his path. Báez headed a corner wide a minute later, Jay Fortune had a long-range shot blocked, and Alexey Miranchuk sent one just over from distance in the 15th. Miguel Almirón dragged a shot wide in the 31st and missed narrowly again in the 42nd, this time off a Báez cross. D.C.'s attempts in between came from Silvan Hefti from more than 35 yards and Andre Dozzell after a corner, and neither threatened the target.

The second half followed the same script, only louder. Cooper Sanchez had a shot blocked in the 46th minute, and Tomás Jacob had two efforts in quick succession, one blocked and one wide. Sanchez was blocked again in the 54th. Both coaches went to the bench around the hour, D.C. with a triple change in the 56th minute and Atlanta answering with three of its own in the 57th.

The best chance of regulation came in the 60th minute. Almirón picked up a loose ball and slipped Embolo in on the left, and Johnson stuck out a foot to deny him. Almirón then had another look in the 64th after Matt Edwards drove to the endline on a break, but he sent it just past the top left corner. D.C.'s lone shot of the second half, a Tai Baribo header from a Kimito Nono cross, sailed over in the 65th.

Then things got testy. Kye Rowles, Nono and substitute Jared Stroud were all booked in a four-minute span between the 68th and 71st minutes. Atlanta kept pushing: Adrian Gill had a shot blocked, Enea Mihaj missed after a corner in the 80th, and Johnson made his second save on a Miranchuk drive from outside the box in the 86th. In the 94th minute came Brennan's header, which deserved a better fate and got the crossbar instead.

Johnson and a Back Line That Would Not Bend

Sean Johnson only needed to make two saves, but both came at the moments Atlanta looked likeliest to score. The AP noted it was his sixth shutout of the season. In front of him, D.C.'s defense was the real story. The club credited Rowles with 15 defensive contributions and four blocks, and as a team D.C. made 24 clearances and kept throwing bodies in front of shots. Per the club, Brandon Servania added four tackles in his 56 minutes, and Nathan Ordaz, making his second start for D.C., supplied the hosts' only early spark. That is how you survive 19 attempts.

Atlanta had plenty of attackers who did almost everything right. Almirón took four shots and created chances for others before Fafà Picault replaced him in the 73rd minute. Embolo put both of his shots on target and drew four fouls. Miranchuk took three shots. Lucas Hoyos, meanwhile, collected his second clean sheet of the season according to the club, on a night when ESPN's data shows he did not have to make a single save.

The Foot at the Hour Mark

If there was one moment that decided this draw, it was Johnson's kick save on Embolo in the 60th minute. Atlanta had been building toward it for most of an hour, and Embolo, played in by Almirón, was through on the left side of the box. Johnson made himself big, got a foot to it, and Atlanta never had a better chance until Brennan's header off the bar in stoppage time. One save, one point.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Atlanta United 19 (3 on target), D.C. United 4 (0 on target).
• Possession: Atlanta United 69.7 percent, D.C. United 30.3 percent.
• Passing: Atlanta completed 559 of 626 passes; D.C. completed 197 of 268.
• Clearances: D.C. United 24, Atlanta United 15.
• Corners: Atlanta United 8, D.C. United 4.

One Point, Two Very Different Moods

D.C. United moved to 6-11-7 with 29 points and, per the club, stayed 11th in the Eastern Conference. The point extended a modest unbeaten run to two after Wednesday's 2-1 win over Columbus, a result the AP noted had snapped a five-game winless streak. D.C. hosts Charlotte FC at Audi Field next Saturday, Sept. 19.

Atlanta United sit at 6-5-14 with 23 points and are now winless in four straight, a stretch that began right after a season-high three-game winning streak, according to the AP. Those wins over Red Bull New York, Minnesota United and Sporting Kansas City feel a long way off now, with losses to Charlotte and Orlando City and draws at Inter Miami and here since. Atlanta heads to Portland to face the Timbers next Saturday.

A Show About Nothing

This was a Seinfeld episode: a full half hour of buildup, a dozen subplots and no real resolution. Atlanta controlled almost every minute that mattered and will look at the shot count with real frustration. D.C. will look at the clean sheet and shrug. Points are points, even the ones you survive.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Match notes as reported by Atlanta United (atlutd.com), D.C. United (dcunited.com) and the AP recap via ESPN.