Atlanta United 2 played Chattanooga FC to a 2-2 draw before falling 5-3 in penalty kicks on Saturday night at Finley Stadium. Midfielders Javier Armas and Luke Brennan each found the back of the net to add to their season tallies.
Atlanta came out of the gate with its foot on the gas, pressuring Chattanooga's every touch and eventually forced a crucial mistake in the ninth minute. Chattanooga's goalkeeper Jean Antoine received a pass from his backline but the service never connected, which allowed Brennan to intercept the ball on the end line before chipping a shot just over Antoine and into the side netting to put Atlanta up 1-0.
In the 36th minute, Chattanooga forward Medhi Ouamri collected a lofted pass behind Atlanta's defense, getting off a clear shot but goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert rushed off the goal line to deny the attempt. Still heading on target despite Hibbert's efforts, Jacob Williams dropped back in front of goal to clear the attempt away.
The home side equalized four minutes into the second half after Alex McGrath centered a cross for Milo Garvanian, who poked his attempt to the bottom right corner just past the reach of Hibbert.
In the 53rd minute, ATL UTD 2 Head Coach Steve Cooke was shown a straight red card for dissent. ATL UTD 2 then conceded a penalty in the 58th minute after Hibbert took out Jesus Ibarra in the box while diving for the ball. McGrath approached the spot, but sent his shot high which rattled off the crossbar to keep the contest even at one apiece.
Chattanooga took a late lead in the 87th minute after McGrath played a corner to the near post for Ibarra who flicked a header over Atlanta's defense to take a 2-1 lead.
Atlanta earned a chance to equalize in the 93rd minute after Williams was tripped inside the box, leading to a penalty for the visitors. Armas stepped up to the spot and ripped his attempt to the top right corner to level things up.
The two sides traded successful penalty attempts in the shootout following regulation, but Williams had his attempt denied after sending the ball up the middle which Antoine made a kick save on while diving to the bottom left.
Atlanta United 2 (3-5-2, 12 points) returns home on Friday, May 31 to take on Crown Legacy FC at Fifth Third Stadium (7:30 p.m. ET, Apple TV - MLS Season Pass, Soccer Down Here). Some ATL UTD 2 matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app while the remainder of matches are streamed live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Notes:
- ATL UTD 2 recorded its first come-from-behind result of the season.
- Javier Armas is the only player for ATL UTD 2 to play all 900 minutes this season.
- Javier Armas scored his fifth goal of the season. He leads ATL UTD 2 in scoring in 2024.
- Luke Brennan registered his third goal of the year.
Penalty Shootout
ATL:
Javier Armas – ✅
Matías Gallardo – ✅
Nobel Okello – ✅
Jacob Williams – ❌
CFC:
Milo Garvanian – ✅
Farid Sar-Sar – ✅
Anatoile Prepelita – ✅
Jesus Ibarra – ✅
Carlos Rivas Murillo– ✅
Stats:
Shots: 19-11 Chattanooga
Shots on target: 6-4 Chattanooga
Corner kicks: 6-5 Atlanta
Fouls Committed: 18-8 Chattanooga
Passing accuracy: 84.9% - 76.7% Chattanooga
Scoring:
ATL – Luke Brennan (Unassisted) 9'
CFC – Milo Garvanian (McGrath) 48'
CFC – Jesus Ibarra (McGrath) 87'
ATL – Javier Armas (Penalty) 90'+4'
Disciplinary:
ATL – Steve Cooke 🟥 53'
ATL – Luke Brennan 🟨 67'
CFC – Alex McGrath 🟨 82'
CFC – Jude Arthur 🟨 90'
