Atlanta United May have lost their most recent home game 2-1 to the L.A. Galaxy, but the passion for and by the Five Stripes has returned. After falling behind by a goal in the 79th minute, it never felt like Atlanta United was ever out of the match. In front of 40,392 soccer fans, the beautiful game was returned to The Benz.
The last time the Five Stripes were home, they scored three goals and received standing ovations from the not-near-capacity crowd inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. On Saturday night against the Los Angeles Galaxy,
There was a moment of silence for the lives and legacies of former Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox and former Atlanta Braves and Hawks owner and CNN founder, Ted Turner. Both men passed away this week.
During the first half, Atlanta United accumulated yellow cards after Stian Gregersen, Cooper Sanchez, Juan Berrecal, and the Atlanta United bench were each booked within a span of five minutes. Prior to the bookings, Atlanta United had been playing aggressively on both ends of the field, and were continuing the tone they set last weekend against CF Montreal: Attack first, ask questions later.
The score was temporarily 1-0 in favor of the home team when Berrocal headed in a corner kick from Saba Lobjanidze, last weekend’s hero after scoring a brace, in the 41st minute. The goal was ultimately disallowed, and the chants of “Ref, you suck” grew louder as the first half wound down.
The score at halftime was 0-0, but Atlanta United was winning a cultural battle. The energy, or lack thereof, surrounding the team from its fans is changing. It’s returning to the time when home matches favored Atlanta United because of how loud they were.
In the 70th minute of the match, the crowd was brought to its feet after Jay Fortune took a star turn and scored an unassisted goal to put the Five Stripes ahead 1-0. Fortune scored the goal and ran to the corner, pumping his fists.
Los Angeles tied the match a few minutes later on a goal from Brazilian forward Gabriel Pec in the 74th minute. The Galaxy took a 2-1 lead five minutes later as the Atlanta United defense, so good the entire match, gave up too much space on a run, and Pec scored his second goal of the game.
Up Next: The next two matches will be on the road. Atlanta United will be spending some time in the Sunshine State as they play consecutive matches against rival Orlando City SC. The first, on Saturday, May 16, will be a regular-season match, and the next will be a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday, May 19, in the same stadium.
Atlanta United’s all-time record against Orlando City is 12-7-6, according to data from fbref.com.
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