Atlanta United won its first game in nine matches thanks to an offensive outburst of four goals, two of which came from set pieces. The 5-Stripes defeated one of the league leaders FC Cincinnati 4-2, bagging multiple goals for the first time since March 29 in a smash-and-grab game that was full of drama — a fitting celebration of the sport on World Soccer Day.
Quote from head coach Ronny Deila: "Big, big credit to the boys. I see a lot more leadership in the group ... We had some really good performances today as individuals and as a team."
What happened: Brad Guzan was called into action early after a smooth sequence from Cincinnati found them through on goal. The captain denied a shot from close range in the third minute.
An injury to Nick Hagglund required a near four-minute stoppage in the 10th minute, halting what was a quick moving start to the match. He was unable to continue, shaking up Cincinnati's backline early.
Emmanuel Latte Lath's persistent pressing earned the first chance of the night for Atlanta. He pounced on a poor touch at the back, and Miles Robinson promptly brought him down outside the left corner of the 18-yard box. Alexey Miranchuk whipped in a perfectly placed pass right to the head of none other than center back Derrick Williams. He got enough on the cross to put the ball past Roman Celentano in the net, and Atlanta United had the lead in the 15th minute. The goal was Williams' first of the 2025 season, and the assist was Miranchuk's first as well.
"We've been working a lot [on] free kicks and corners, and I'm glad that we scored from these positions," Miranchuk said.
But that wasn't the end of it for the 5-Stripes. Five minutes later, Jay Fortune grabbed his first of the season and the second on the night for Atlanta United. Saba Lobjanidze was instrumental, finding space deep into the Cincinnati box on the right side and playing a low ball right into the 6-yard box. Fortune's run was well-timed, and it earned him a tap-in finish to put his team ahead 2-0 in the 20th minute.
The two-goal lead was the largest lead Atlanta had held on the entire season. Cincinnati tried to make quick work cutting the deficit, but Guzan stood tall a couple of times. The remainder of the first half was a rock fight, and both teams created multiple great chances at goal.
Latte Lath had a huge chance to make it three. After a huge clearance, he skipped away from the defense and past the keeper in the 42nd minute. His shot hit side netting but missed the frame. His first half was a track meet, sprinting to run down long balls and create breakaway chances.
It wasn't the last great chance in the first half. After eight minutes of added time, Miguel Almirón got through on goal on a counterattack. He had to reroute and square the ball back to Miranchuk, and the 5-Stripes took shot after shot on goal but were denied each time. It seemed miraculous that only two goals had been scored at the break.
The second half started with a quick blow from Cincinnati. Robinson, the former Atlanta United defender, got just enough on a header from a corner, and the ball glanced off the ground and past Guzan to make the score 2-1 in the 48th minute.
Both teams found most of their success on the counterattack. Luca Orellano nearly leveled the game after a quick combination in the 52nd minute.
Ronald Hernández was head coach Ronny Deila's first choice for substitutions in the 60th minute, replacing Pedro Amador for a more defensive option at left wing back.
The nearly 41,000 17s in attendance Sunday night grew louder by the minute in the second half, urging their men on as they picked up a couple of corners. In the 66th minute, they had their third to celebrate. Derrick Williams, who was dominant in the air all night, headed a ball down from a corner. As it trickled across the face of goal, a couple of players took stabs at it, and Miranchuk got the second to last touch. The final one belonged to Bartosz Slisz, who tapped in his first goal of the 2025 season to restore Atlanta's two-goal advantage.
If you thought the scoring was over, you were sorely mistaken. FC Cincinnati had the reply soon after. In the 70th minute, a failed clearance gave the Orange and Blue another chance, and Gerardo Valenzuela got on the end of a cross to make the score 3-2.
The follow 10 minutes after the Cincinnati goal were a good ole' fashion bunkering from Atlanta United. The 5-Stripes conceded possession but made timely tackle after timely tackle. Deila brought on Mateusz Klich and Jamal Thiaré in the 80th minute to solidify the defensive block and bring fresh legs to press.
But despite that approach, it was as if there was a magnet in the ball drawing it to each goal. Hernández had a really good look at a fourth, but his header soared over in the 82nd minute.
The officials tacked on four minutes of added time, as if to stress out the onlooking home fans even more. But the 5-Stripes stood strong, and they buried the game in the 94th minute. Thiaré found the ball through on goal with just the keeper to beat, and he slotted it away calmly for the fourth goal of the match for the home side.
It was an emphatic finale in a barnburner of a battle. The roar from the 17s at the final whistle was deafening, a celebration long overdue for 5-Stripes fans.
"[HabÃa] mucha cualidad en la cancha hoy. Creo que mandamos un mensaje," Hernández said. "Lo más importante de hoy es que estámos tomando confianza."
"There was a lot of quality on the pitch today. I think we sent a message. What's most important today is that we are gaining confidence."
Key stat: 39. Both teams combined for 39 shots in an attacking heavyweight battle. Atlanta United had 4.3 expected goals on the night, finally converting on their chances to secure the three points.
Standouts: It's funny to shoutout Brad Guzan first of all players in a match where Atlanta United finally scored multiple goals again, but he was incredibly composed in the net at every step of the match. Derrick Williams was also force to be reckoned with in both boxes. His header opened the scoring on one end, but his defensive aerial plays were just as important on many occasions. Jay Fortune was awared the Golden Spike of Excellence for his performance, a goal and another unbelievable shift for the kid from Atlanta.
Milestones:
- Alexey Miranchuk played his 400th career club game at the professional level. His two assists were his first and second of year for the 5-Stripes.
- Derrick Williams scored his first goal of the season and first of his MLS regular season career with Atlanta United with a timely header off of Miranchuk's free kick.
- Jay Fortune scored his first goal of the season as well, and it was the second of his career with the 5-Stripes' first team.
- Bartosz Slisz scored his first goal of the season and third for Atlanta United.
- Atlanta United snapped a nine-match winless streak and scored multiple goals for the first time since March 29.
Up next: Atlanta United won't have to wait long for their next fixture — they'll take on Orlando City SC Wednesday, May 28 for their second midweek match in three weeks. That match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, so be ready for some weeknight soccer against another Eastern Conference foe.
