It’s understandable that there might not be a lot of fans at the game on Wednesday night. This is a week full of Atlanta sports, the Braves are hosting the Phillies in a three-game weekend series, the Hawks are hosting the Knicks for games three and four of a first-round playoff series, and Atlanta United, well, they were just looking to contribute something positive to the conversation on Wednesday night. The few fans that managed to make their way inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium were vocal and treated to something new.
The result was the same, Atlanta United lost another match at home, 2-1 to the New England Revolution, but it felt different. It looked different.
There was a new look to the starting XI and that should be taken as a clear sign that Atlanta United manager Tata Martino has had enough of whatever was going on. Defender Matt Edwards and striker Fafa Picault were among the starters, as was Saba Lobjanidze. The Georgian was a regualr starter for the past two head coaches, but during Martino’s second run at the helm, Lobjanidze has come off the bench late in games.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta Voice
The new-look Five Stripes nearly fell behind 1-0 after Nigerian midfielder Alhassan Yusef pulled off a thing of beauty in the form of an individual strike in the 18th minute. The goal was wiped off the scoreboard after a referee review that seemed to take 20 minutes to complete. Atlanta threatened to score only once during the first 30 minutes, but looked to be playing with more spirit.
The New England Revolution came into Mercedes-Benz Stadium fresh off a 2-1 victory over the Columbus Crew on Saturday. Revs players Dors Turgeman and Carles Gil scored the two goals in that game. Atlanta United, on the other hand, gave up two goals during a 2-0 loss to Nashville the last time they were on the pitch at The Benz.
There have been times this season that the life was taken out of this team after an opponent scored first. Well, Atlanta United was the first to strike on this night, after Picault scored an unassisted goal off of a teammate’s miss in the 38th minute. Ahead 1-0, Atlanta United’s supporters seemed to get back into the game.
A Lobjanidze free kick in the 80th minute went wide right, but brought cheers from the fans. Atlanta United was playing with more passion during this match. Edwards picked up a yellow card in the 47th minute to match the one Matias Galarza earned in the 44th minute.
Even when New England tied the game in the 73rd minute after Will Sands headed in a corner kick and took the lead 2-1 following another goal, this time from Peyton Miller in the 78th minute, the players’ energy didn’t wane.
Late-game substitutions of players for Miguel Almiron, Jay Fortune, and Tristan Muyumba kept the energy up. Emmanuel Latte Lath was the final substitution for Atlanta United. The move came in the 88th minute of the match. He was cheered upon his arrival.
Up next, Atlanta United will play consecutive road games at Toronto and Charlotte on Saturday, April 25, and Tuesday, April 28, 2026. They will return home to begin May with matches against CF Montreal and the LA Galaxy. Photo by Tabius McCoy/The Atlanta Voice
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