Match recap: Combination play spells success, Atlanta United wins final home match of 2026 season against Toronto

In their final home match of the 2026 season, Atlanta United put together a performance to be proud of in front of their 17s. The style of play was certainly a bright spot, but the 5-Stripes were only ever concerned with coming away with three points. Sunday night, they accomplished that mission, defeating Toronto FC 3-1 behind goals from Miguel Almirón, Cooper Sanchez and Alexey Miranchuk. 

What happened

Lucas Hoyos made the first important play of the day for Atlanta United, saving a shot from Theo Corbeanu in the 5th minute after the visitors quickly countered from a turnover. 

Breel Embolo would've put the 5-Stripes ahead in the 9th minute if he wasn't a few feet offsides when receiving a loose ball. The forward chipped the keeper, but his celebrations were stopped before they even started. 

Though it took some time, Atlanta United built up some possession, pinning Toronto back into their own box. The Reds took that as an opportunity to play the transition game, but the 5-Stripes were prepared to match their runs. 

A beautiful combination through the middle of the park unlocked Toronto's defense, and Atlanta United had a 1-0 lead in the 22nd. It started with Cooper Sanchez, who found Miguel Almirón at the top of the box. He played a one-two with Alexey Miranchuk, who fed him back through on goal with just Luka Gavran to beat. The Paraguayan tapped the ball past the keeper for the lead as Atlanta United's top two goal producers this season combined.

Almirón repaid Sanchez's involvement in the first goal in the 40th minute, assisting the 18-year-old for 2-0. Giuliano Galoppo's over-the-top through ball found Almirón with loads of space on the left. He dribbled to the end line and cut a pass pack to the run of Sanchez, who took a first-time left footed shot that found the bottom right corner of the net.

The first half gave way, and though Toronto had a slight edge in possession with 51%, Atlanta United were comfortable leaders. 

Embolo slipped through on goal but hit his shot with too much power and went over the bar in the 46th minute. Paulo Díaz was to thank for the chance, as his through ball from range was perfectly weighted. 

Almirón's near wondergoal resulted in Atlanta United's third of the evening. The captain found ball at the edge of the 18 and struck a low longshot that rifled off the bar and into the path of Miranchuk. He finished the chance easily, and the 5-Stripes bulldozed their way to a 3-0 advantage.

Toronto tried to get a hold of things but were unsuccessful outside of a couple half chances. Mauricio Amaro got injured while blocking the Reds' best chance of the second period to that point, and he eventually was substituted in the 70th minute. 

Atlanta wasn't short on goalscoring chances once the lead hit 3-0. Embolo almost had a fourth in the 67th minute when Almirón crossed to his run at the top of the 6-yard box. His flicked strike rolled wide of the right post. Substitute Jay Fortune got a one-on-one look with the keeper in the 72nd, but he rushed the shot on his left foot and it was saved. The Homegrown had yet another great chance saved in the 74th minute, and he was roving forward with major confidence.  

Embolo was kept off the scoresheet almost impossibly in the 77th minute, as his breakaway shot was saved and his header off the rebound of the shot bounced off the post. It was one part of a crazy spell of end-to-end play that occurred in between the 75th and 79th minutes that resulted in a Toronto goal to end the clean sheet. Substitute Lewis Morgan finished a chance after the 5-Stripes failed to clear the ball. 

In the end, Atlanta United left a few more goals out on the pitch. Substitute Tristan Muyumba had a great chance saved down the stretch, and the 5-Stripes tallied up 8 shots on target. Their persistence was enough to see out the result, though, and Atlanta ended their home schedule with a resounding and perhaps therapeutic win.

Standouts

• Miguel Almirón and Alexey Miranchuk's combination play was a sight to see. Though they played on opposite wings, the two tucked into central spaces and created Atlanta United's first goal. It was the fourth time the two have combined for a goal in their Atlanta United careers. Almirón assisted the second goal, and the two also indirectly combined to the third goal, as Almirón hit the woodwork to set up Miranchuk's finish.

Milestones

• Cooper Sanchez scored his first MLS goal in the 40th minute. He became the fourth Atlanta United player to score a regular season goal for the club prior to turning 19, joining Caleb Wiley, George Bello and Brandon Vázquez.
• Matt Edwards reached 50 appearances in all competitions when he came on as a substitute. Only four other Homegrowns have reached that total in club history (Jay Fortune, Caleb Wiley, Tyler Wolff and George Bello).

Up next

Atlanta United heads back up to the tri-state area to face Red Bull New York in their final match of the 2026 MLS season. The 4 p.m. ET kickoff will see the 5-Stripes against a team they beat at home back in August.