HIGHLANDS HEIGHTS, Ky. (April 27, 2025) - Atlanta United 2 played to a scoreless draw at FC Cincinnati 2 Sunday afternoon and fell in the penalty shootout to decide the extra point. Santiago Pita made his first professional appearance as Atlanta earned its first clean sheet of the 2025 MLS NEXT Pro Season.
The match started off cagey between the boxes, and Atlanta took the first shot of the game in the 12th minute. Cincinnati failed to clear the ball out of its own box and it fell to Javier Armas, who struck a volley from 18 yards out but it went wide left.
The match continued back-and-forth between the sides, with Cincinnati having a chance of its own in the 21st minute. Twenty yards from goal, Stefan Chirila took a touch toward the middle and curled a shot from outside the box, but his shot went just over the top-right corner.
Two minutes later, Atlanta had a chance at the other end. Gabriel Wesseh received the ball after a switch to the right side, and dribbled past his defender down toward the endline. The 16-year old crossed the ball low past the face of goal for Dominik Chong Qui at the top of the box, but the Homegrown couldn't keep his shot on frame.
Atlanta began to gain momentum with a spell of chances. In the 31st minute, Armas received the ball on the right side 25 yards from goal. The Spaniard crossed the ball toward the back post and connected with Moises Tablante, who floated a header across the goal, but goalkeeper Paul Walters was able to hold on to the high-rising ball.
Cincinnati had the final chance of the half. Peter Mangione headed back the ball from a cross at the top of the box and it fell to Tega Ikoba, who fired a shot 20 yards out, but Jayden Hibbert calmly collected and held onto the ball into halftime.
The beginning of the second half saw Atlanta flex its defensive strength against the home side. In the 55th minute, Amir Daley cut inside from the right toward the Atlanta box and tapped the ball toward Dado Valenzuela, who curled a one touch shot with his right foot across goal, but it went past the far post and out for a goal kick.
The second-half substitutes for Atlanta came in and nearly combined for the go-ahead goal. Patrick Weah received a throw-in and played Ryan Carmichael at the top of the box. After a savvy turn around his defender, the Northern Irishman ripped a shot destined for the top-left corner, but Walters was forced to make an acrobatic save in the 79th minute.
At the end of regulation, the score remained deadlocked to send the game into a penalty shootout and settle the extra point. The sides traded conversions, but Carmichael's penalty struck left post to prevent Atlanta from taking its second consecutive shootout victory, earning one point in the scoreless draw.
Atlanta United 2 (1-2-4, 8 points) returns to action Saturday, May 3 when it travels to Huntsville City FC at Joe Davis Stadium (8 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com, 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.
Penalty Shootout:
CIN
Stefan Chirila - ✅
Peter Mangione - ✅
Brian Schaefer - ✅
Xhosa Manyana - ✅
Ben Augee - ✅
ATL
Javier Armas - ✅
Sal Mazzaferro - ✅
Ryan Carmichael - ❌
Santiago Pita - ✅
