Atlanta United defeated Birmingham Legion FC 3-2 Saturday afternoon at BBVA Field to remain undefeated through its fourth preseason match of 2020. Ezequiel Barco scored his second goal of the preseason, while Matheus Rossetto and Adam Jahn each tallied their first goal with the club.
Atlanta owned the majority of the first half and kept Birmingham from attempting a shot. But despite peppering five shots on target, Atlanta didn’t find a breakthrough until the 44th minute from Barco. Pity Martinez created space in the midfield and then played Barco in on goal. Barco then pulled back onto his right foot and unleashed a ball to the far corner, leaving Birmingham goalkeeper Matt VanOekel with little chance of making a save.
Birmingham equalized shortly after halftime from the penalty spot. Laurence Wyke conceded a foul inside the box and Neco Brett stepped up for Legion FC. The Jamaican forward went left, barely beating a diving Brendan Moore.
Jahn gave Atlanta the lead by converting a penalty in the 67th minute. Tyler Wolff drew it after getting taken down in the box by Gabriel Silva. Jahn easily converted to the right, as Legion FC goalkeeper Ford Parker guessed to the wrong side.
Rudolf Mensah equalized in the 80th minute. Countering from a through ball played from Birmingham’s side of the field, Mensah charged in on goal and beat an on-charging Moore. But debutant Rossetto scored the game-winner in stoppage time, taking a pass from Mo Adams before calmly slotting in.
With the win, Atlanta United moved to 3-0-1 in the 2020 preseason. It travels to Estadio Jalisco for its final preseason match on Tuesday, Feb. 11 against Leones Negros of the Mexican second division. The club will begin play in the 2020 Concacaf Champions League against FC Motagua on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
STATS
Shots: 13-2 Atlanta
Shots on Target: 8-2 Atlanta
Fouls committed: 10-8 Birmingham
SCORING SUMMARY
ATL – Ezequiel Barco (Pity Martinez) 44’
BHM – Neco Brett (penalty) 48’
ATL – Adam Jahn (penalty) 67’
BHM – Rudolf Mensah 80’
ATL – Matheus Rossetto (Mo Adams) 90+2’
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
ATL – Jake Mulraney (yellow) 51’
ATLANTA UNITED STARTING LINEUP
Alec Kann (Brendan Moore – HT); George Campbell (Philip Goodrum – 71’), Miles Robinson (Patrick Nielsen – HT), Franco Escobar (Laurence Wyke – HT); Anton Walkes (George Bello – HT, Luiz Fernando – 77’), Jeff Larentowicz (Eric Remedi – HT), Emerson Hyndman (Mo Adams – HT), Brooks Lennon (Jake Mulraney – HT); Pity Martinez (Matheus Rossetto – HT), Josef Martinez (Adam Jahn – HT), Ezequiel Barco (Tyler Wolff – HT).
BIRMINGHAM LEGION FC STARTING LINEUP
Matt VanOekel; Bolu Akinyode, Johannes Bergmann, Alex Crognale, Razak Cromwell; Mikey Lopez, Anderson Asiedu, Dillon Serna, Prosper Kasim; Neco Brett, Brian Wright.