Atlanta United 2 fell 5-0 to Birmingham Legion FC Wednesday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Amir Bashti made his club debut when he came on as a substitute in the second half.
Birmingham took the lead in the third minute through Brian Wright. Prosper Kasim intercepted a pass in the defensive third and immediately played a long ball behind Atlanta’s backline. Wright tracked down the loose ball and chipped it in for the lead.
ATL UTD 2 nearly equalized in the 16th minute with a pair of chances. Luiz Fernando beat a defender on left side and sent a cross in for Laurent Kissiedou. The Ivorian took a touch to settle the ball, but immediately had it poked away by a Birmingham defender. Legion FC failed to clear it, and Atlanta recycled the play out to the right side where Laurence Wyke sent a dangerous ball into the six-yard box, but it just missed the boot of a sliding Jackson Conway.
JJ Williams doubled Birmingham’s lead in the 43rd minute after heading in a cross from Eric Avila. Daniel Johnson added a third in the 51st minute when he scored a curling shot from outside of the box following corner kick.
Kasim scored a penalty kick in the 81st minute after Atlanta was called for a handball in the box. Kyle Culbertson ended the scoring with a goal in the 88th minute.
ATL UTD 2 (5-16-5, 20 points) returns to action Saturday, Sept. 7 against Ottawa Fury FC at 7:30 p.m. EST at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. The match will be streamed live on ESPN+.
