Recent road form for the 5-Stripes has been a bright spot, and Wednesday night's contest continued the trend. Atlanta United downed CF Montréal 3-0 with eloquent buildup and simple finishes, keeping their playoff hopes alive. It was their fifth match unbeaten away from home, as their front three were heavily involved in goalscoring.
What happened
Breel Embolo was ruled offside after slipping through on goal in the 2nd minute, as Atlanta United jumped out the gate with energy. The fluidity of the attack was apparent, and the 5-Stripes fired off 5 shots within the first 15 minutes, the most they've had all season through the first 15.
Alexis Sanchez forced a Lucas Hoyos save in the 16th minute, part of a lively start to the game for the Chilean.
Miguel Almirón thrust the 5-Stripes ahead in the 22nd minute with a curling, outside-the-box strike. It capped another smooth move from Atlanta's attack, starting with Alexey Miranchuk out on the right, switching to the left with Báez and ending with Almirón's strike. It tapped off the right post and into the net for 1-0.
Giuliano Galoppo had a shot saved following another keen cut-in by Miranchuk in the 25th minute.
Montréal struggled to carve out real attacking chances over the remainder of the first half until Atlanta used a set piece to double their lead in the 42nd minute. A free kick cross from Miguel Almirón found Júnior Alonso. His squared pass was cleared and found Paulo Díaz, who clipped in a bending cross to Embolo. His header was straight at Sébastian Breza in goal, but it was powerful enough to bounce off the keeper's gloves and to the feet of Galoppo. He tapped the ball over the line to give Atlanta United a commanding 2-0 advantage.
That was enough to take the visiting 5-Stripes into the break ahead, even despite having under 40% of the possession. The staggering difference lied in the expected goals, as Atlanta United led in xG production 1.81 to 0.06 at half.
The first half's start was slow, but Atlanta United got a third in the 60th minute. It was Breel Embolo's first goal from open play in his Atlanta United career. A clever backheel from Miranchuk after winning the ball with a high press was played onto Jay Fortune. He crossed to Almirón, whose shot was saved off the line by a collision between Breza and his defender. That clash allowed Embolo to tap the ball in, another easy finish for the 5-Stripes.
It was still Montréal earning the majority of possession, but Atlanta United were ruthless when they got looks.
Almirón and Miranchuk and combined for a fourth goal that was quickly ruled back, as the Paraguayan's cross hit Miranchuk's hand before bouncing into the net in the 75th minute. Almirón took a hard tackle from Efraín Morales in the 78th minute. He came off four minutes later as head coach Tata Martino used the rest of his substitutes to rotate the side.
The match looked like it was slowing to its conclusion, as Atlanta United were plenty happy with letting the match settle down until the final whistle. That was until added time, when Hennadii Synchuk hit the crossbar with a rogue effort in the 91st minute and Olger Escobar did the same minutes later. Neither yielded a consolation, and the 5-Stripes walked away with a win and a clean sheet.
Standouts
- Miguel Almirón played up and down the wing all evening with energy and positional awareness. He scored the first of the night with a longshot, and his strike led to Embolo's goal.
- Alexey Miranchuk was a maestro all over the park, having an indirect hand in all three of Atlanta United's goals on the evening.
Milestones
- Miguel Almirón tied Josef Martínez and Miles Robinson with 111th MLS regular season start for Atlanta United.
- Elías Báez had his 6th assist of the 2026 MLS season, tying Miranchuk and Almirón for most on the team.
- Breel Embolo scored his second goal for the 5-Stripes and his first in open play.
Up next
Atlanta United comes back home for a high-profile matchup with Inter Miami CF October 17. Grab your tickets to see the two Southern rivals take the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night.
