Starting XI and roster notes: Jay Fortune to break club Homegrown appearances record

Through the ups and downs of football, Jay Fortune has risen above. Saturday night, he'll break a friend's record and cement himself as the most capped Homegrown in Atlanta United history. 

Fortune will make his 86th appearance for the 5-Stripes against FC Cincinnati, surpassing fellow Academy product Caleb Wiley. 

The stakes are as high as they've been all season for Atlanta United, and at home in front of their 17s, they'll go for what would be a massive win in their search for a playoff spot. The 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff against Cincinnati will feature the return of Atlanta United's international call-ups from the FIFA window. 

Miguel Almirón returns to captain the 5-Stripes, up front alongside Breel Embolo. Jay Fortune will be the fourth midfielder named to head coach Tata Martino's XI against Cincy, a strategy El Profe employed against NYCFC last time out. 

In the middle of the pitch, Tristan Muyumba, Mauricio Amaro and Giuliano Galoppo look to continue building chemistry. They'll have to prove they can mitigate Cincinnati's transition attacks and keep the ball with the 5-Stripes. 

Lucas Hoyos starts in goal, and his defense in front of him will feature three other South Americans in Tomás Jacob, Elías Báez and Júnior Alonso. Enea Mihaj takes the final defensive spot as Atlanta United goes for their third clean sheet in four matches. 

Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United vs FC Cincinnati:

Lucas Hoyos, Tomás Jacob, Júnior Alonso, Enea Mihaj, Elías Báez, Tristan Muyumba, Mauricio Amaro, Giuliano Galoppo, Jay Fortune, Miguel Almirón (C), Breel Embolo

Reserves: Jayden Hibbert, Paulo Díaz, Matt Edwards, Adrian Gill, Cooper Sanchez, Alexey Miranchuk, Fafa Picault, Sergio Santos, Luke Brennan 

Roster Notes:

-- Jay Fortune is in line to start in what would be his 86th appearance for Atlanta United. The Trinidadian national will break a tie with Caleb Wiley as Atlanta United's all-time leader in caps by a Homegrown player.  

-- Miguel Almirón captains in his return from international duties with Paraguay. He scored a brace against Bolivia Sunday, Sept. 27 and has 11 goal contributions for the 5-Stripes this season. 

-- Giuliano Galoppo, Atlanta United's loan signing from River plate, will start again after scoring in his home debut for the 5-Stripes against New York City. He led his side with 8 duels won in that match. 

-- With a start tonight, Lucas Hoyos becomes the eighth player in Atlanta United history to start each of the club's first 29 matches of an MLS regular season. 

-- The 5-Stripes are 4-2-2 in home matches against Cincinnati. They have outscored Cincy 15-8 in those matches.   

-- Last season, Atlanta United registered a 4-2 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Cincinnati. It marked the second time in the series that Atlanta scored 4 goals at MBS.