Atlanta United will travel to Chicago to have a rematch with the Fire on Saturday, April 27. United defeated Chicago 3-0 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Mar. 31. Atlanta will make its way to the midwest following a 2-1 loss to FC Cincinnati at home on Saturday night.
Following the match, Atlanta manager Gonzalo Pineda was asked if there was some comfort in knowing Chicago was his team’s next opponent and he said no.
“There is no easy games at all, we just lost five points at home,” Pineda said. “We have to come back and win those points against Chicago now, and it won’t be easy. Whatever happened the other day, the 3-0, it’s going to be a very different game and we need to earn that victory again.”
Atlanta United midfielder Saba Lobzhanidze could arguably be the Man of the Match despite not scoring a goal or registering an assist. Even though Thiago Almada’s strike in the 59th minute gave Atlanta the 1-0 advantage that they would have for three minutes before Cincinnati would tie and take the lead on goals from forward Luca Orellano (62nd minute) and Luciano Acosta (64th minute), Lobzhanidze was involved in every bit of the action Saturday night before being replaced by Tyler Wolff in the 86th minute.
Atlanta United returned to Mercedes-Benz Stadium after giving up a pair of second half goals to Philadelphia in a 2-2 draw last Sunday, April 14. Going into the match against FC Cincinnati, the Five Stripes had only lost one match in its previous six. The difference between the months of March and April is that there were three victories during the four matches in March, and thus far in April just two draws during the two matches.
The match against FC Cincinnati began as a battle of defenses as both teams pressed and came up with scoring opportunities to no avail. On more than a few occasions during the first half Atlanta had clear and present opportunities to score the first goal of the game, but Cincinnati would find a way to thwart them with a block or with fine play from in front of the net. Lobzhanidze was on the front end of a couple of those attempts.
Credit has to be given in particular to Tristan Muyumba, Caleb Wiley and Noah Cobb (who would be replaced by Ronald Hernandez to begin the second half) for their work rate in the back during the first 45 minutes and subsequent three minutes of stoppage time.
During the first half Cincinnati led the way with 12 shots-on-goal to six, while Atlanta held a slight lead in possession with 57%. The match was another draw after 48 minutes.
Atlanta looked sluggish to start the second half but would take the lead on Almada’s second goal of the season before falling behind 2-1 following consecutive Cincinnati goals.
Despite seven minutes of stoppage time Atlanta could only manage a corner kick in the 96th minute that ended up being blocked away.
Welcome back, Miles
Former Atlanta United center back Miles Robinson was given a round of applause during pregame warms up. Robinson signed with FC Cincinnati following last season. Robinson is signed through 2024 with a club option for 2025.
What’s next
The month of May will be full of matches, including three at home and three on the road. Atlanta United will host Minnesota FC and D.C. United on May 4 and May 11 to open the month. Consecutive road matches at FC Cincinnati and Nashville will take place on Wednesday, May 15 and Saturday, May 18, before Atlanta United returns home to host LAFC on Saturday, May 25. Miami will host Atlanta on Wednesday, may 29 to end a very busy month of play.
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