Atlanta United 2 today announced its 2019 home opener will be played against USL Championship expansion club Hartford Athletic Saturday, March 9 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia, the club’s new home venue for the 2019 season.
“Coolray Field was an excellent home during our first season,” Atlanta United Vice President of Business Operations Catie Griggs said. “We are extremely grateful to everyone at Coolray Field, the Gwinnett Stripers and Atlanta Braves organizations, Gwinnett County Sports Commission and all of our Gwinnett-based fans who made our inaugural campaign memorable. Lawrenceville will forever be the first home of ATL UTD 2, and for that, Coolray Field will always hold a special place in our club’s history.”
Atlanta United’s First Team played a pair of U.S. Open Cup matches at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in 2017 and 2018, both resulting in wins against Charleston Battery. ATL UTD 2 also hosted a rescheduled match there on Aug. 7 after a previous game was suspended due to weather.
Hartford Athletic, based in Hartford, Connecticut, is one of the USL Championship’s seven expansion club’s that will enter the league for the 2019 season. The match against ATL UTD 2 will mark the franchise’s first league game in its history.
The 2019 USL Championship season will open with a landmark opening day on Saturday, March 9 thanks to a 17-game slate of action – the most on a single day in the league’s history – that kicks off the regular season.
2019 USL Championship Home Openers
Home Teams Listed First
Saturday, March 9
ATL UTD 2 vs. Hartford Athletic
Birmingham Legion FC vs. Bethlehem Steel FC
Charleston Battery vs. Ottawa Fury FC
El Paso Locomotive FC vs. OKC Energy FC
LA Galaxy II vs. Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC
Las Vegas Lights FC vs. Austin Bold FC
Memphis 901 FC vs. Tampa Bay Rowdies
Nashville SC vs. Loudoun United FC
New Mexico United vs. Fresno FC
New York Red Bulls II vs. Swope Park Rangers
North Carolina FC vs. Louisville City FC
Reno 1868 FC vs. Orange County SC
Sacramento Republic FC vs. Real Monarchs SLC
Saint Louis FC vs. Indy Eleven
San Antonio FC vs. Phoenix Rising FC
Seattle Sounders FC 2 vs. Rio Grande Valley FC
Tulsa Roughnecks FC vs. Portland Timbers 2
Friday, March 15
Charlotte Independence vs. Indy Eleven
Saturday, March 16
Bethlehem Steel FC vs. North Carolina FC
Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC vs. Sacramento Republic FC
OKC Energy FC vs. Las Vegas Lights FC
Orange County SC vs. Tulsa Roughnecks FC
Phoenix Rising FC vs. New Mexico United
Real Monarchs SLC vs. El Paso Locomotive FC
Rio Grande Valley FC vs. Fresno FC
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, March 23
Fresno FC vs. Reno 1868 FC
Louisville City FC vs. Hartford Athletic
Portland Timbers 2 vs. Las Vegas Lights FC
Swope Park Rangers vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Saturday, March 30
Austin Bold FC vs. San Antonio FC
Indy Eleven vs. Hartford Athletic
Saturday, April 6
Ottawa Fury FC vs. Nashville SC
Saturday, April 13
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC vs. Hartford Athletic
Friday, May 3
Loudoun United FC vs. Bethlehem Steel FC
Saturday, May 4
Hartford Athletic vs. Charlotte Independence
“We are excited to make Kennesaw our new home next year,” said Griggs. “Fifth Third Bank Stadium features an award-winning, top-class playing surface and is a venue designed for professional soccer. In addition to its convenient proximity to the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground, hosting our home matches in Kennesaw provides ATL UTD 2 the best environment to develop while also strengthening the Atlanta United brand close to home.”