Atlanta United 2 falls 2-1 vs. OKC Energy FC

Atlanta United 2 fell 2-1 to OKC Energy FC Sunday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Matías Benítez netted his second goal of the season, while Robbie Mertz recorded his first assist.

Atlanta pushed forward early in the match, which created numerous opportunities on goal. In just the fifth minute, Robbie Mertz had a one-on-one opportunity with C.J. Cochran, but the goalkeeper ultimately came up with the save to keep the match scoreless. ATL UTD 2 completed the first half with ten total shots, while OKC only had six.

Atlanta jumped on the scoreboard in the 49th minute. After connecting a string of passes, Mertz threaded a pass between two OKC defenders to Benítez in the box, where he hammered home a shot into the top right corner of the goal. The Argentine had another opportunity a few minutes later in the 59th minute when he was fouled right outside of the box. The forward stepped up to take the free kick and whipped in a right-footed shot, but it ricocheted off the crossbar.

OKC evened the game at one in the 71st minute when Tucker Stephenson buried a rebound after Rocco Ríos Novo made the initial save from a Jaime Chávez shot. Then, OKC took the lead off a set piece in the 78th minute. Robert Coronado served in a floated ball near the six-yard box and Conor Donovan redirected it with his right foot into the back of the net.

ATL UTD 2 (3-4-3, 12 points) will return to action against Birmingham Legion FC, June 30 at BBVA Compass Field (ESPN+, 8:00 p.m. ET).

MATCH RESOURCES 

• Post-match interviews with Jack Collison, Robbie Mertz and Chris Allan
• Match Photos
• Post-Match Stats
• Post-match quote sheet

MATCH INFO 

Atlanta 1, OKC 2

Fifth Third Bank Stadium

Kennesaw, GA

STATS

Shots: 17-15 OKC

Shots on Target: 8-4 OKC

Corner kicks: 7-5 OKC

Fouls committed: 16-11 Atlanta

Offside: 3-1 OKC

Possession: 59-41 Atlanta

Passing Accuracy: 85-78 Atlanta

SCORING SUMMARY

ATL – Matías Benítez (Robbie Mertz) 49’

OKC – Tucker Stephenson 71’

OKC – Conor Donovan (Robert Coronado) 78’

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

OKC – Zach Ellis-Hayden (yellow) 40’

ATL – Will Reilly (yellow) 65’

ATL – George Campbell (yellow) 77’

ATL – Robbie Mertz (yellow) 84’

OKC – C.J. Cochran (yellow) 90+5’

ATL UTD 2 STARTING LINEUP

Rocco Ríos Novo; Bryce Washington, George Campbell (Alexander Garuba – 79’), Josh Bauer; Caleb Wiley, Chris Allan, Darwin Matheus (Bradley Kamdem Fewo – 62’) , Robbie Mertz ©, Will Reilly; Connor Stanley, Matías Benítez

Substitutes not used: Vincente Reyes, Aiden McFadden, Amadou Macky Diop

OKC ENERGY FC STARTING LINEUP

C.J. Cochran; Rob Coronado, Conor Donovan ©, Mitch Osmond, Zach Ellis-Hayden; Charlie Ward, Aiden Daniels (Tucker Stephenson – 58’) Hiroki Kurimoto (Brad Dunwell – 85’), Villyan Bijev (Jamie Chávez – 58’), Arun Basuljevic (Jonathan Brown 90’), Frank Lopez (Samuel Rogers – 86’)

Substitutes not used: Muengnenshime Goshit, Kyle Ihn

OFFICIALS

Jervis Atagana (referee), Dallas Rosier, (assistant), Kevin Huet, (assistant), Joshua Belk, (fourth official)

TEAM NOTES

• Matías Benítez scored his second goal of the season
• Robbie Mertz recorded his first assist of the season.

ABOUT ATL UTD 2

ATL UTD 2 is owned and operated by AMB Sports & Entertainment and is the United Soccer League (USL) affiliate of Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United. ATL UTD 2 joined USL for its expansion 2018 season and plays its home matches at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.