Head coach Tata Martino spoke yesterday about the importance of Alexey Miranchuk's positioning being catered to the opponent they face.
"[Different] games call for different ways to approach it," Martino said in Spanish Tuesday.
His call for Miranchuk's positioning for Charlotte? We'll have to wait and see. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium as the 5-Stripes look to rebound in their second consecutive rivalry match.
The designated player and Atlanta United's leading goal creator this season will start alongside Miguel Almirón and Fafa Picault in attack. Both Miranchuk and Picault have experience starting on the wings and up front, not to mention Almirón has also served as a central forward at points. It's a fluid front three that very well may change throughout the match.
The defense sees a debutant enter the fold, as Júnior Alonso makes his club debut. The Paraguayan center back is fresh off a World Cup campaign with Paraguay and will come into the side with good fitness. Enea Mihaj pairs with him as a center back duo, and Elías Báez and Tomás Jacob are out on the wings as fullbacks. In the net, Lucas Hoyos makes his 16th start of the MLS regular season.
In the middle of the park, Will Reilly replaces an injured Jay Fortune, joined by the same two midfielders as Friday's matchup with Nashville. Cooper Sanchez and Tristan Muyumba will likely feature as dual No. 8s, with Reilly slotting in the defensive No. 6 role.
Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United at Charlotte FC:
Lucas Hoyos, Tomás Jacob, Enea Mihaj, Júnior Alonso, Elías Báez, Will Reilly, Tristan Muyumba, Cooper Sanchez, Alexey Miranchuk, Miguel Almirón (C), Fafa Picault
Reserves: Jayden Hibbert, Ronald Hernández, Stian Gregersen, Toto Majub, Adrian Gill, Ignacio Suarez-Couri, Luke Brennan, Cayman Togashi, Arif Kovac
Roster Notes:
-- Miguel Almirón starts and captains the 5-Stripes after having represented Paraguay at the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. The designated player had his 15th match with at least 3 shots and 3 chances created against Nashville last Friday — second to only Thiago Almada in club history.
-- Júnior Alonso starts in his first appearance with Atlanta United. The newly signed center back hails from Paraguay and played alongside Miguel Almirón in the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.
-- Cooper Sanchez, the 18-year-old Homegrown, starts his 14th match of the MLS regular season. The midfielder was recently selected to the United States U-19 Men's National Team's squad for the 2026 Concacaf U-20 Championship and will remain with the 5-Stripes through the week before joining the U.S. in Mexico.
-- Tristan Muyumba will feature in the starting XI fresh off winning possession 8 times against Nashville. The French midfielder has put together a well-rounded showing this season, completing approximately 92% of his passes.
-- The club announced today it signed Arif Kovac, Toto Majub and Ignacio Suarez-Couri to Short-Term Agreements. The three Atlanta United 2 players will be available on the bench.
-- Atlanta United defeated Charlotte FC 2-0 in the Round of 16 in the U.S. Open Cup back on April 28. Alexey Miranchuk opened the scoring, and Cooper Sanchez scored the first goal of his First Team career.
