First Touches
- Atlanta United will wear the 17s' kit.
- It's a Sunday match for Atlanta United, which means an earlier start time and kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
- Atlanta United will be without Miles Robinson, Derrick Etienne, Jr., and Jay Fortune, who were called up to their countries for the Concacaf Gold Cup. Robinson and Fortune play against each other as the United States takes on Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday following the Atlanta United match. Here's how to watch.
- Atlanta United hosted some special visitors at the Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground | This week's Training Notebook
- We're less than 30 days out from Leagues Cup! Learn more about the annual, month-long tournament.
Match Details
- Date: Sunday, July 2
- Kickoff time: 4:00 p.m.
- Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
- Tickets: View tickets
How to watch, listen and live stream Atlanta United vs. Philadelphia Union
- TV: Watch the national broadcast on FOX or for FREE on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
- Listen: Local radio 92.9 The Game and La Mejor
- Live stream: Watch on Foxsports.com or on your phone or device by subscribing to MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app or visit https://tv.apple.com/.
- Follow along: Follow the match with realtime stats and live play-by-play on our Matchday Hub page.
Recent Form
Atlanta United is looking to bounce back from last weekend when their seven-match unbeaten run came to an end with a 4-0 loss at the always tough Red Bull Arena. The loss to Red Bulls was only the second time this season that Atlanta United has been shutout. They currently rank second in MLS in goals scored (37) but are also tied for first in goals against (35). Meanwhile, Philadelphia Union has had a mix of results lately. The defending Eastern Conference champions won their most recent meeting, beating last-place Inter Miami 4-1. Before that, they played Orlando City to a 2-2 draw and lost to San Jose Earthquakes on the road 2-1.
Series History and Last Meeting
Philadelphia has gotten the better of Atlanta United as of late, going unbeaten in the last six matchups between the two sides in all competitions. However, Atlanta has only lost once to the Union in their last seven meetings at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, winning three times and drawing three. (The loss came in the quarterfinals of the 2021 Concacaf Champions League.) Last time out, Atlanta United hosted the Union in a regular season MLS match played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sept. 17, 2022. In an intense, playoff-esque atmosphere, the home team was largely in control but couldn't convert and the result was a scorless draw.
Players To Watch
Thiago Almada (Atlanta United) – The World Cup winner has gone a little cold for the 5-Stripes since returning from playing with Argentina during the June international FIFA window. Almada last recorded an assist for Atlanta United in the 3-1 win over D.C. United at the beginning of June and last scored during the May 31 match against New England Revolution. Still, Almada leads the league in goals outside the 18-yard box (5), is tied for league leader in assists (9) and was announced as an MLS All-Star this week. Twelve of his 16 goal contributions this season have been at home, and he's been involved in at least one goal in eight of his nine home MLS matches, so Sunday afternoon presents the perfect moment for Almada to get hot.
Julián Carranza (Philadelphia Union) – Lining up on the other side of the pitch is another young Argentine making a name for himself in MLS. Carranza, the 23-year-old striker, is coming off earning MLS Team of the Matchday honors for his performance in the Union's most recent win over Inter Miami CF. Carranza scored in the 39th minute of the match, which brought his season total to 10 goals. Reaching the milestone made Carranza only the second player in Union history to recording multiple 10 goal seasons, joining Sebastien Le Toux.
Head Coach Gonzalo Pineda on Sunday's match against Philadelphia:
"Last year here against Philly, we were pretty dominant and we don't even allow one shot on goal for them. When we play our style and we do a good job of that, we are normally the dominant team. We have to be better on the ball, decision-making, positioning, rotations, occupying the spaces we want to occupy, a couple of tactical aspects we want to highlight against Philly.
"Then the last part is the mental part, the mental side of the game, being ready to compete. Whenever it's a 50/50 ball, whenever it's a duel, whenever it's defending inside the box, we have to do better. That's been consistently, throughout the season, an issue we need to fix. I think the response this week's been very good, much better. So I hope to see a much better game."
