Latte Lath is back leading the lines.
Atlanta United will have their designated player forward back up front to start a match for the first time in two matches. Head coach Tata Martino has been explicit about getting his Ivorian forward some rest, both for physical and mental recovery. Latte Lath has made substitute appearances in each of the club's last three matches, but Saturday night against CF Montréal, he'll get the chance to start again for the first time since April 18.
The 7:30 p.m. kickoff will see Atlanta United gunning for their first win streak of the 2026 season after taking down Charlotte FC in U.S. Open Cup and Toronto FC last weekend.
Joining Latte Lath in the attack is captain Alexey Miranchuk, who has scored in each of Atlanta United's last two matches, and Saba Lobjanidze. The 5-Stripes have scored multiple goals in each of their two wins and are looking to continue that attacking flow.
In the middle of the park are two more recent goalscorers in Tristan Muyumba and Cooper Sanchez. Matías Galarza also starts as a pivotal and versatile piece for the 5-Stripes. The midfield has been a huge driver of Atlanta United's success this season and the deepest position group in the squad so far.
Behind them, Martino and his staff make a couple of changes to the backline. Lucas Hoyos returns to start in goal after resting in the midweek, and Pedro Amador comes in at left back. Enea Mihaj, Stian Gregersen and Tomás Jacob man the rest of the defense as the 5-Stripes go for consecutive clean sheets for the first time this season.
Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United vs CF Montréal:
Lucas Hoyos, Tomás Jacob, Stian Gregersen, Enea Mihaj, Pedro Amador, Tristan Muyumba, Cooper Sanchez, Matías Galarza, Saba Lobjanidze, Alexey Miranchuk (C), Emmanuel Latte Lath
Reserves: Jayden Hibbert, Elías Báez, Matt Edwards, Juan Berrocal, Will Reilly, Jay Fortune, Luke Brennan, Fafa Picault, Cayman Togashi
Roster Notes:
-- Alexey Miranchuk captains the 5-Stripes for the sixth match in a row. The forward has scored a team-high 6 goals this season across all competitions.
-- Matias Galarza ranks first in tackle success rate in MLS, with 93.3% of his tackles this season, going 14-for-15 so far. Galarza has been a key addition to the squad this past transfer window.
-- Cooper Sanchez became just the second Atlanta United player to record multiple MLS assists before the age of 19 and also scored his first career goal for the First Team in the Open Cup win at Charlotte.
-- Fafa Picault is sitting on 249 MLS Regular Season appearances in his career. With a substitute appearance, he would become the 153rd player in MLS history to reach 250 caps in a career.
-- Atlanta United has an 8-5-5 (W-L-D) record all-time against CF Montréal. The 5-Stripes are 6-1-1 in home matches against Le CFM. The 5-Stripes rank sixth in MLS in terms of possession at 54.7%.
-- Miguel Almirón was not selected to the matchday squad as he finishes recovering from a knee injury. The forward was listed as questionable on Friday's availability report.
