After Atlanta United’s 2-2 tie with the Philadelphia Union, the team sought to turn things around at home. The 5-Stripes faced a difficult opponent in FC Cincinnati, another formidable Eastern Conference team. However, Atlanta lost 2-1 after giving up two goals, exactly like they did against Philadelphia.
“We were winning, and it was really hard to score that goal,” Gonzalo Pineda, the head coach, told the media following the game. “Right after that, it was a lack of understanding on how to solidify the result.”
Atlanta held possession for the whole of the first half despite FC Cincinnati’s early aggressive pressure. Tristan Muyumba’s attempt from a corner kick was Atlanta’s first decent opportunity, going just wide of the goal. Alec Kann, the goalie for Cincinnati and a former Atlanta United player, made a quick, close save to deny Saba Lobjanidze a goal in the 14th minute of the first half. Throughout the first half, Lobjanidze was everywhere on the field, using his quickness to counter Cincinnati’s crowded style of play.
Both teams were able to advance the ball down the field for scoring opportunities as the first half wore on, turning the encounter into a battle of transitions.
After Nick Hagglung fouled Daniel Rios in the 39th minute, Kann blocked Almada’s point-blank attempt. Miles Robinson, a former player for Atlanta United, made a sliding block in opposition to Rios. After the play, Robinson and Nick Hagglund were both down. In the 43rd minute, Ian Murphy replaced Hagglund, allowing Robinson to return to the game. Atlanta United had six shots on goal and 56 percent of the possession at the half’s finish.
Ronald Hernandez was forced to replace native Noah Cobb after the half. The 5-Stripes’ goal in the 59th minute of the game did not come as a surprise, since they had scored nine of their previous twelve goals in the second half. Atlanta took the lead thanks to a stunning goal from Thiago Almada, who was helped by Edwin Mosquera. Giorgos Giakoumakis, Xande Silva, and Jay Fortune replaced Daniel Rios, Edwin Mosquera, and Tristan Muyumba, respectively, in the following minute. Giakouakis and Silva were both sidelined by injury during the previous game.
The advantage held by Atlanta United was short-lived as Luca Orellano’s goal for Cincinnati in the 62nd minute cut it to one. In the 64th minute, Luciano Acosta extended Cincinnati’s advantage following a forced interception on a short corner. This goal quickly tied the score. Atlanta had to try to regain their footing after giving up two goals for the second week in a row.
In the 76th minute, Cincinnati replaced Corey Baird with Aaron Boupendza. Robinson’s poor sportsmanship earned him a yellow card, which gave Atlanta their eighth corner of the game.
In the 87th minute of the game, Tyler Wolff was deployed as Atlanta’s last substitution, replacing Lobjanidze. Bret Halsey, Malik Pento, and Alvas Powell were substituted for DeAndre Yedlin, Pavel Bucha, and Luciano Orellano by Cincinnati. Atlanta attempted to tie the game in the final seconds of seven minutes of stoppage time. Although both Brooks Lennon and Caleb Wiley had excellent opportunities, the 5-Stripes ultimately failed to overcome FC Cincinnati’s two fast goals.
