A pair of Atlanta United midfielders are getting league recognition for their role in one of Atlanta United's biggest wins of the season. Alexey Miranchuk and Bartosz Slisz recorded four goal contributions in Atlanta United's 3-2 comeback victory against Orlando City SC. Miranchuk was involved in all three himself — a goal, an assist and a secondary assist — and he was named to the starting XI of the MLS Team of the Matchday 16. Slisz, who scored a late equalizer, is on the Team of the Matchday bench.
For Miranchuk, a designated player signing with a lot of weight on his shoulders, he's played his most free football in the last two matches. Five of his six goal contributions on the season have come in the last four days, and his direct contribution to every Atlanta United goal Wednesday night was nothing short of a masterclass.
His first came in the 11th minute, and it was a striker's goal from the attacking midfielder. Saba Lobjanidze did well to whip a cross into the box, and Orlando City's defense couldn't clear it fully. The ball bounced off two defenders and fell to Miranchuk just inside the penalty area. If you've ever watched Alexey, you know he can hit that ball perfectly 99 times out of 100. His strike glanced off the turf and rifled into the back of the net, tying the match at 1-1.
It took until the 83rd minute for Miranchuk to have his second, and Slisz did most of the heavy lifting. After Orlando City headed a cross away, Miranchuk did well to settle the ball, laying it off to his teammate. The Polish defensive midfielder put an affirmative boot through the ball, and it soared past the keeper, off the left post and in. Slisz's golazo was the first goal Atlanta United has scored from outside the box in the 2025 season.
Miranchuk had his hand (or should we say foot) in the winner, too. His lofted pass to Saba — who assisted Jamal Thiaré's 95th minute go-ahead goal — was simply stunning. It looped gracefully over the defense and enabled Lobjanidze to flick the ball in on time. Miranchuk earned the secondary assist to secure his third goal contribution of the night. He became the first Atlanta United player to have three in one match since Giorgos Giakoumakis on March 9, 2024.
Both Miranchuk and Slisz turned in their best performances of the season in what was arguably the biggest game of Atlanta United's 2025 campaign. The two combined to complete 97 passes. Miranchuk racked up 10 progressive passes, and Slisz led the team with four tackles, according to FBref.com.
Showing up in a rivalry match at home means that much more.
"You can see our character as a team, as a group," Miranchuk said after the match Wednesday night. "We're all together, we were down, we [didn't] stop, we go again, we go again. We've got the crowd on our side."
Miranchuk shouted out DJ Khaled's song "GOD DID" after the match, saying that's how he felt about the result. For his side, the preparation and mentality were evident, and Atlanta United will look to continue their run of form, now with two wins in their last two, against New York Red Bulls Saturday night.
