Atlanta United was on the brink of falling at home to Orlando City in a midweek match that was full of opportunity. The 5-Stripes scored and created enough chances, but defensive errors found them 2-1 behind against their rivals from Florida. Then, Bartosz Slisz happened. The Polish midfielder's longshot leveler was the moment of magic his side needed, but it wasn't the last one of the night.
Super sub Jamal Thiaré poached a goal in the 95th minute, and the 5-Stripes survived a late push to defeat Orlando City SC 3-2 Wednesday night. It was the second-ever comeback, from losing to winning, after the 75th minute in Atlanta United's history.
Quote from head coach Ronny Deila: "We kept believing. In the end, in the second half we were so dominant that they couldn't cope with it ... Being average is boring, so I want to see more personality, more togetherness, more energy, take our fantastic fans with us."
What happened: Atlanta United's defense was a bit drowsy to start the match, and Orlando wasted no time capitalizing. With their first shot of the match, they took the lead. A couple of passes cut through the middle of the Atlanta United defense, and César Araújo put a strong foot through the ball. The shot dribbled past Brad Guzan in the net, and the Lions had a 1-0 lead very early on in the fourth minute.
The home side didn't let it stay that way for too long. They held nearly all of the possession until the 19th minute, when Alexey Miranchuk got on the end of a deflected ball in the box and thumped it into the bottom right corner of the net. It was a deserved reply for a team that was startled away by conceding early.
Saba Lobjanidze's efforts which eventually led to Miranchuk's equalizer won't earn him any goal contributions, but his actions were vital in the buildup. He progressed the ball down the right wing and whipped in the cross that Orlando was unable to fully clear.
The goal didn't hinder their aggressiveness, either. Saba nearly made it two for the 5-Stripes in the 25th minute. Pedro Gallese was off his line, and Lobjanidze tried to sneak the ball in at the near post, but his shot was too high.
Everything was flowing for Atlanta United until the 32nd minute. Derrick Williams was unable to handle a ball bouncing back toward his goal, just missing the pass back to Brad Guzan. Ramiro Enrique pounced and calmly put the ball away to give Orlando a 2-1 advantage.
The Lions used that momentum to take a further hold on the match, keeping the ball away from Atlanta United for longer spells as the half went on. They had one more great look at goal in the 46th minute as MartÃn Ojeda found himself one-on-one with Guzan. The angle was tight, and his shot curled outside of the right post.
So the 5-Stripes went into the half trailing for the first time since May 10. The chances were flowing, and Atlanta United was moving the ball enough to feel they had a shot to get a result — they were even leading 0.7 to 0.6 on expected goals. What they needed in the second half was a lights out defensive performance.
It started with a Brad Guzan save. Marco Pašalić's shot rattled off the post and out to Ojeda, who couldn't get past Atlanta United's big, bald wall.
The 5-Stripes had more than enough time with the ball at their feet, but they couldn't find clear cut chances early in the second half. Orlando tucked into their back-five, a steady low block that didn't afford much space to the home team. Head coach Ronny Deila went to his bench, calling on Mateusz Klich, Pedro Amador and Jamal Thiaré to change the dynamic.
With the moves in the 68th minute, Atlanta United switched to a back four, sending more players forward to look for the leveler. Amador nearly had it with a sliced volley in the 70th minute, but it just sailed over the crossbar.
Tempers flared seemingly out of nowhere in the 77th minute, giving Atlanta United a real path back into the contest. Araújo appeared to put his hands on Klich's neck after Klich shoved another player, and head official Filip Dujic sent the Orlando City midfielder off swiftly.
Deila didn't stop going for it, bringing on winger Edwin Mosquera for center back Luis Abram in the 82nd minute. From that point on, it was all Atlanta.
Bartosz Slisz's moment of magic in the 83rd minute broke the second-half deadlock. The ball rolled out to him at the edge of the 18, and he curled it right off the left post and into the back of the net. The 17s made it clear why Mercedes-Benz Stadium was just today nominated for Newsweek's Loudest MLS Home Pitch, as the stadium sounded off in celebration.
Bizarrely, Orlando City's head coach Oscar Pareja was sent off in the aftermath of Slisz's equalizer. It seemed to fuel the crowd even more, as Atlanta United pushed on for a winner.
In the 95th minute, their super sub Jamal Thiaré had another clutch moment in store. He's had a couple of goals off the bench this season for the 5-Stripes, but none bigger than this one. Saba settled a ball over the top in the box and was just able to get enough on it for Thiaré to strike. He tapped the ball past Gallese, and the 17s nearly blew the roof off Mercedes-Benz Stadium. 3-2.
Even with the latest of pushes from Orlando City, the 5-Stripes stood strong, keeping the three points and earning a marquee rivalry win for the 2025 campaign.
Key stat and standouts: Midfield production drove Atlanta United's success. Alexey Miranchuk and Bartosz Slisz continued their run of goal contributions with some of their best performances of the season. The two were everywhere on the pitch and had four goal contributions between the two of them by the end of the night.
Milestones:
- Brad Guzan made his club-record 250th appearance in all competitions.
- Alexey Miranchuk scored his second goal and grabbed his third and fourth assists of the 2025 campaign. The strike was his third goal contribution in the last two matches.
- Bartosz Slisz scored his second goal in as many matches, a screamer from outside the box to tie the game up in the 83rd minute.
- Jamal Thiaré had something to say late again. He scored his third goal of the 2025 season, all of which have come as a substitute.
- Atlanta United scored multiple goals in back-to-back matches for the first time this season.
Up next: The 5-Stripes will wrap up their triple matchweek with a third rematch, this time against New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J. The two sides fought to a 0-0 draw on Matchday 3, and Atlanta United will feel they can turn that result in their favor given their recent run of form. The match will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET May 31.
