On Sunday afternoon, Atlanta United 2 lost to FC Cincinnati 2 at Fifth Third Stadium 4-1. Both Ramzi Qawasmy, a free agent signing, and goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert made their Atlanta United 2 debuts.
In the sixteenth minute, Gerardo Valenzuela’s through pass to Moises Tablante allowed Cincinnati to take the lead. Tablante’s shot from a tight angle went to the roof of the net.
In the 33rd, Tablante’s strike found its way to Hibbert, giving the visitors a two-goal lead. However, the Atlanta keeper was unable to stop the ball, and Peter Magione converted the rebound.
In the 36th minute, forward Nick Firmino attempted a dangerous header, but it went just wide after Derrick Etienne Jr. blasted in a cross at the back post.
After a corner kick in the 42nd minute, Atlanta drew one back. Before laying it off for Tmimi, who managed to shoot with his right foot through traffic, Javier Armas delivered a low, driven ball to Erik Centeno at the top of the box, bringing the score to 2-1 at halftime.
Cincinnati’s third of the game was secured in the 55th when Nicholas Benalcazar and Mailk Pinto successfully connected a series of passes through the Atlanta defense.
Benjamin Stitz took advantage of confusion in Atlanta’s box to score the game’s final goal in the 67th minute for Cincinnati. He gathered the ball just outside the six-yard line and scored with his right foot.
In the 82nd minute, ATL UTD 2 had one last, good opportunity when Matt Edwards swung in a ball to Luke Brennan in the center of the box. Brennan managed to get a header off, but his effort struck the crossbar.
On Wednesday, April 24, Atlanta United 2 (1-3-0, 3 points) will play its next match at Fifth Third Stadium against Chattanooga FC, its divisional rival (7:30 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com Soccer Down Here). The remaining ATL UTD 2 games are streamed live on MLSNEXTPro.com, with the option to watch certain matches on the Apple TV app if you have an MLS Season Pass.
