BRIDGEVIEW, Ill. (April 18, 2026) - Atlanta United 2 earned a 3-0 win over Chicago Fire FC II on Saturday at SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview. Arif Kovac and Cameron Dunbar have now scored in consecutive matches, Adrian Gill scored his first ATL UTD 2 goal and Atlanta maintained its second consecutive clean sheet in the victory.
The 5-Stripes started the match by putting the pressure on early. In the fourth minute, the Atlanta defensive press caught Chicago goalkeeper Owen Pratt taking too long on the ball, and Kovac was able to poke it off the keeper’s foot and into the back of the net.
Atlanta’s next big opportunity came in the 27th minute. Dominik Chong Qui, shaking off tackles from multiple defenders and dribbling down the left flank, quickly cut back a cross into the center of the Chicago box. Receiving the cross, Dunbar struck a close-range shot destined for the bottom right corner of the net, but Pratt quickly reacted to knock the effort out of play.
In the 36th minute, the Atlanta high press generated another chance. Pratt, in an attempted clearance, turned the ball over to Ignacio Suarez-Couri, who released a one-touch pass to Dunbar. Finding himself in enough space to unleash a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner of the Chicago net, Dunbar doubled the Atlanta lead.
In the 44th minute, Chicago had a chance to reduce the deficit before the half. Midfielder Damyan Villanueva played an accurate lofted ball from just inside the Atlanta half, which found the feet of striker Dean Boltz, allowing him to charge alone into Jonathan Ransom’s box. However, the effort on goal was scuffed wide to the right, and ATL UTD 2 entered the half with a 2-0 lead.
The second half was more controlled than the first, with both teams effectively snuffing out attacks as they developed.
In the 84th minute, Gill broke the second half stalemate. Suarez-Couri won a sliding duel on the edge of the Chicago box and guided a backward pass to Gill, who was in space. Gill, fancying a long-range effort, took a shot from 30 yards out that flew into the bottom left corner of Pratt’s goal, giving the 5-Stripes a 3-0 lead.
Chicago’s best opportunities to score a goal came in the 87th and 88th minutes when Damian Nigg’s effort from the left side of the box curled inches away from Ransom’s far post, and one minute later, Jack Sandmeyer’s strike from the center of the box crashed off the right post and out of danger, cementing the ATL UTD 2 clean sheet victory.
Atlanta United 2 (4-2-1, 13 points) returns to action Saturday, May 2, when it travels to North Carolina to face Carolina Core FC at Truist Point Stadium (6 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com, OneFootball App, Soccer Down Here).
