Game one of the third road trip of the season didn't go Atlanta United's way. The 5-Stripes made a late push after Philadelphia Union had a player sent off, but the home side held on for nearly 40 minutes of play with 10 men and added a third goal late. Atlanta United had troubles dealing with Union's press and once again didn't have the finishing touch in the attacking third.
Final score: Philadelphia Union 3, Atlanta United 0
What happened: Atlanta United debuted a new formation on the season, as Ronny Deila sent his players out in a 4-4-2 with Alexey Miranchuk at striker and Jay Fortune in left midfield. The setup allowed the 5-Stripes to be more compact in defense and freed up space in attack for the fullbacks Brooks Lennon and Pedro Amador to overlap often. Miranchuk wasn't shy about dropping back to receive the ball and facilitate.
The 5-Stripes had early trouble with Philadelphia's press, giving the ball away in the defensive third a few times. They always won the ball back or blocked the resulting shot, but attacking momentum was firmly with Union.
The 16th minute saw Philadelphia's best chance of the early going after Noah Cobb let a forward ball bounce. Brad Guzan made his first save of the night, scrambled off his line to stop a potential rebound effort, and the Union shot went wide right.
Philadelphia's pressure paid off in the 26th minute. Atlanta United had multiple chances to clear the ball away, but a couple of whiffs in a row and the ball bounced out to Quinn Sullivan just inside the box. He took one touch with his chest and hit the ball on the volley. It flew past a motionless Brad Guzan into the bottom right corner, and Union took a 1-0 lead.
Union wasn't done there, winning the ball and starting a counter just two minutes later. Mikael Uhre cut in on his left foot at fired a shot that rattled off the crossbar. After that passage, Stian Gregersen ended up hurt, and he shook his head as he left the pitch in the 31st minute. Luis Abram replaced him at left center back for the remainder of the match.
The injury bug bit at the wrong time, as Tristan Muyumba was forced off the pitch just three minutes later. Mateusz Klich came in to replace him, leaving Deila with just one more substitution window for the rest of the match.
The 5-Stripes led in expected goals at half. But the scoreline, the stat that truly mattered, showed 1-0 Union.
Coming out of the break, Atlanta showed some energy, but Union made one timely challenge and drove right through. Brooks Lennon lost possession, and Danley Jean Jacques filled the space on the right side of United's defense. He sent Guzan the wrong way with his shot, and Philadelphia took a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute.
Atlanta United kept pushing, and Miranchuk drew a foul in the middle of the pitch, a second yellow for Jovan Lukić who was sent off. With their opponent down to 10 men, the 5-Stripes had a window.
Jamal Thiaré and Saba Lobjanidze came on in the 66th minute as Deila looked to recharge his attack. Atlanta took the initiative, holding possession and firing off shots from everywhere. In the 75th minute, Miranchuk settled a ball to Saba, whose shot hit the woodwork and allowed Philadelphia to clear.
Philadelphia stuck with it, and the Golden Boot contender Tai Baribo — who came on as a substitute in the 74th minute — picked up his MLS-leading seventh goal in the 84th minute. With much of the Atlanta United team forward, Sullivan picked up a ball in the corner and swung in a cross that found Baribo's head for 3-0.
Quote from Ronny Deila: "I'm, of course, very disappointed. We have a lot of the ball but we are not good enough in the two boxes. I think we lose the ball too much in difficult and easy situations ... We're underperforming as a team and also individuals, so that's something I have to look myself in the mirror and take responsibility for."
Key stat: 58.6. Atlanta United won the possession battle with 58.6 percent share of the ball. But as has become a bit of a trend this season, more possession hasn't meant more success. The 5-Stripes have just one point in the four matches that they've won the battle for the ball.
Much of that statistic is based on match condition. The 5-Stripes would of course see much more of the ball after Philadelphia's red card. It's not that having more of the ball is causing the bad results, but it's certainly something Deila and his staff will look at to see how their squad can translate possession into points.
Standout: Jay Fortune, in his second start of the season, played in a new position on the left side of the Atlanta United and was energetic and fluid. His presence on the ball was one thing, but his defensive work rate, making runs to win the ball back, were what took his performance to the next level. He was subbed off in the 66th minute as Atlanta United chased the result, but he made his case for more opportunity for the 5-Stripes going forward.
Milestones:
- Noah Cobb made his first start of the 2025 season, playing 66 minutes at center back before being subbed off for attacking reinforcements.
- Jay Fortune started at left midfield for the first time this season in his second start of the 2025 campaign.
What's next: Atlanta United has one more road game before returning to Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The 5-Stripes will head back down south to face Orlando City SC. The match will be the first time the two teams have met since their Eastern Conference semifinal meeting last year.
