Atlanta United defeated FC Cincinnati 4-2 Sunday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Four different players scored for Atlanta, including Derrick Williams, Jay Fortune, and Bartosz Slisz, each finding the back of the net for the first time this season.
After building a two-goal lead at halftime, both sides traded goals throughout an exciting second half, but Jamal Thiaré netted a fourth goal deep in stoppage time to put the match away and give Atlanta its third home win of the season. Alexey Miranchuk also recorded two assists in his 400th professional appearance.
Atlanta United took the lead in the 15th minute. Former Atlanta defender Miles Robinson was shown a yellow card for a hard foul on Latte Lath on the left side, roughly 25 yards from goal. On the ensuing set piece, Miranchuk delivered a left-footed cross inside the six-yard box, which Williams headed downward into goal for the 1-0 lead.
Five minutes later, Atlanta doubled its lead thanks to Jay Fortune. Following a goal kick, Atlanta built from the back and worked the ball up the left side before quickly moving it across the field to Saba Lobjanidze on the right wing. Lobjanidze backed down his defender and dribbled into the box before firing a low cross to the edge of the six-yard box, where Fortune tapped in his first goal of the season.
Cincinnati cut the lead in half in the 48th minute. Evander delivered a corner kick to the center of the box, where Robinson bounced his header just past a diving Guzan.
However, midway through the second half, Atlanta restored its two-goal lead when Slisz scored his first goal of the season in the 67th minute. Lobjanidze took a corner kick from the left side and sent it to the back post, where Williams headed it back across goal. The ball took a deflection off Miranchuk before Slisz tapped it home to make it a 3-1 game.
Four minutes later, Cincinnati again cut its deficit to one. After an extended spell of possession deep in Atlanta’s half, Lukas Engel fired a low cross from the left side to the penalty spot, where Gerardo Valenzuela took a sliding shot and placed it just under the feet of Guzan.
“It’s a good win, we’ve got to continue to be better,” said Brad Guzan post-match about team morale. “When you’re in a difficult moment, sometimes you need a little something to go your way. Tonight we had a little bit of that, we’ve got to look at it, and we’ve got to go get them.”
Atlanta United (3-7-5, 14 points) returns to action Wednesday, May 28, when it hosts Orlando City at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass, 92.9 The Game, La Mejor). All Atlanta United matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Courtesy of Atlanta United