Atlanta United will look to avoid starting the 2026 season 0-2. That would be worse than how last season began.
The Five Stripes, who will be in San Jose on Saturday, come into this week following a 2-0 loss in Cincinnati last Saturday. The slow start to the new campaign makes this game against the Earthquakes slightly more important than expected.
The Earthquakes are coming off a 3-0 victory over Kansas City.
Following training on Thursday morning, Atlanta United manager Tata Martino and midfielder Alexey Miranchuk spoke to the media. Miranchuk, a key player on last year’s squad, said it has been good working with Martino for the first time. He did not start the match, and was a regular starter under the team’s former manager.
“It has been what I expect it to be,” said Miranchuk, who added that he’s “100 percent healthy” this week.
Asked about playing at San Jose this weekend, Miranchuk said Atlanta United needs to be “aggressive.”
“We need to hurt them if we get the chance, and concentrate for 90 minutes,” he said.
Martino said the team has to “turn the page quickly,” and he believed his squad took as many quality shots as Cincinnati FC did in the last match. “We can improve on our build-up from the last game,” he said.
“Every game and opponent is different,” said Martino, who added that the offensive build-up was at the top of his list of concerns for the team.
Atlanta United’s home opener will take place on Saturday, March 7, against Real Salt Lake. First kick is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. That match will be followed by two more home matches on Saturday against Philadelphia Union and D.C. United.
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