Atlanta United has its second chance this season to string together two wins.
Coming off a 4-3 comeback win over New York City FC, the 5-Stripes will look to carry that momentum through the rest of their three-game homestand. They'll start tonight with FC Dallas, their first Western Conference opponent of the season.
Head coach Ronny Deila's side features no season debutants, but some players are shifted around positionally. Saba Lobjanidze, who once again thrived on the right side of the pitch when he swapped over during the NYC match, will start on the right against Dallas. He's started every match this season for Atlanta United, and this is just the second, along with at FC Cincinnati, that he'll begin on the right side of the attack.
Xande Silva gets his second start of the season on the left side of the attack. That will slide Miguel Almirón into the No. 10 position, where he said he feels comfortable after the comeback win last week. Alexey Miranchuk, who was dealing with a muscle issue, is available on the bench but will not start.
Deila didn't show his hand after Thursday's training session, but it appears he does indeed like the prospect of Almirón in the middle of the attack. He's certainly well equipped to play the No. 10, as he scored last week in that position from a header after roaming into the box. We'll see if he has the freedom starting a match there to drift to either side when the game dictates.
On the left side of the defense, it will be Matt Edwards to become the fifth different player to start at left back this season for Atlanta United. He replaced Dominik Chong Qui last Saturday and made playing on left side look just as natural. He's proven his versatility this season, as the FC Dallas match will mean he's started every position on the defensive line this season.
Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United against FC Dallas:
Brad Guzan, Brooks Lennon, Stian Gregersen, Luis Abram, Matt Edwards, Bartosz Slisz, Tristan Muyumba, Saba Lobjanidze, Miguel Almirón, Xande Silva, Emmanuel Latte Lath
Reserves: Josh Cohen, Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Jay Fortune, Ronald Hernández, Mateusz Klich, Alexey Miranchuk, Will Reilly, Jamal Thiaré
Match Notes:
-- Brooks Lennon is one assist away from breaking Atlanta United's all-time assists record. He is currently tied with Julian Gressel with 39 career assists with the club.
-- Tristan Muyumba returns to the starting XI for the first time since March 22, when he went off injured at FC Cincinnati. The French midfielder recovered from right leg injuries and was a full participant in training this week.
-- Luis Abram makes his first start for Atlanta United since March 1 when the 5-Stripes faced Charlotte FC. He started at left back in that match.
-- Miguel Almirón sits at 22 MLS regular season goals and is one goal shy of tying Thiago Almada for second-most in Atlanta United history.
-- Latte Lath has been on a goalscoring tear. He became the sixth Atlanta United player to score in three consecutive matches with his winning goal against NYCFC last Saturday. The Ivorian is second in MLS with five goals, only trailing Tai Baribo of Philadelphia Union who has six.
-- Atlanta United and FC Dallas have shared the points in their matchups so far. The 5-Stripes are 2-2-1 (W-L-D) against Dallas all time and are 2-1-0 at home. In those home matches, Atlanta has outscored Los Toros 5-2.
-- Atlanta United's first ever home match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium was against FC Dallas, when the 5-Stripes won 3-0 Sept. 10, 2017. Miguel Almirón had two assists in the match.
