ATLANTA — Atlanta United took sole possession atop the MLS Eastern Conference after defeating the Chicago Fire 2-1, combined with a loss by NYCFC. Sitting at 22 points, the Five Stripes (7-1-1) used a strong second-half performance to stretch its unbeaten streak to eight straight games.
Ezequiel Barco started the scoring trend for Atlanta United in the 53rd minute of the second half, followed by Josef Martinez adding the second goal in the 57th minute, notching his league-leading seventh goal of the season.
While Chicago had several opportunities to score during the match, the Fire did not find their first and only goal of the match until several minutes after Martinez’s tap-in goal.
Down the stretch, the Five Stripes’ defense -- a unit that at times gave up some close calls throughout the match – managed to keep Chicago from earning a second goal.
Atlanta United now turns its attention to Sporting Kansas City, which sits atop the MLS Western Conference with 20 points and averages two points per game.
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How long will Atlanta United stay hot? Here’s an overview of upcoming matches for the Five Stripes.
APRIL
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April 1 – at Minnesota United (4-5-0)
2018 Results /Highlights: An own-goal by Minnesota United's Francisco Calvo lifted 10-man Atlanta United to a 1-0 win Saturday at TCF Bank Stadium.The own-goal came in the third minute after Hector Villalba's headed shot ricocheted off the crossbar, against Calvo, and over the line.
The Five Stripes played Minnesota United to a draw in their third preseason match of the 2018 season. Minnesota United scored the first goal of the game in the second half. Kevin Molino scored on a penalty kick to give Minnesota United a 1-0 lead. Then, much like the first half, the Five Stripes continued to move the ball against the Minnesota defense, but were unable to score.
It would take the impact of newly acquired player Ezequiel Barco to give the Five Stripes their first point, which came in the final minutes of the game. In his debut performance, Barco capitalized on a pass he received from the sideline and kicked a tight shot into the far back corner of the goal to tie the score at 1-1.
2017 Results/Highlights: On a snowy field, Atlanta United defeated Minnesota United 6-1 in the Loons' inaugural MLS home game. Josef Martinez scored three goals, and Miguel Almiron scored twice in the match. According to The Associated Press, the match was the coldest game in MLS history, with a kickoff temperature of 20 degrees.
April 7 – LAFC (5-2-1)
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2018 Results/Highlights: Miguel Almiron had two goals and one assist, helping Atlanta United beat Los Angeles FC 5-0 for its fourth consecutive victory. Atlanta United took the lead in the 17th minute when Julian Gressel scored, and the Five Stripes never looked back.
April 15 – New York City FC (6-2-2)
2018 Results /Highlights: NYCFC snapped Atlanta United's four-game winning streak, playing the Five Stripes to a 2-2 draw. Greg Garza and Chris McCann scored the two goals for the Five Stripes respectively. David Villa scored NYCFC's first goal. Then, David Ring, in the 73rd minute, scored the second goal for NYCFC.
2017 Results/Highlights: When the two teams went head-to-head in 2017, Atlanta United split the season series, winning the second match 3-1 on May 28 at Bobby-Dodd Stadium. In that victory, the Five Stripes were very efficient, using a first-half frenzy of scores that included a brace from Miguel Almiron and Hector Villalba. NYC FC never found a rhythm in the game to fight back against AU, other than when it scored its only goal in 71st minute.
April 21 – at LA Galaxy (3-5-1)
2018 Results /Highlights: Atlanta United made its trip to the West Coast a good one, defeating the LA Galaxy 2-0 at the StubHub Center. In a match that featured the Galaxy's talented forward Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the Five Stripes limited the Swedish forward from scoring and made it difficult for the Galaxy to get in a solid rhythm on offense.
Offensively, Atlanta United (5-1-1) used its speed to its advantage, which served as a key factor in the Five Stripes victory. Josef Martinez scored a first-half goal while Miguel Almiron converted a penalty kick in the second half to secure the Five Stripes' fifth victory of the season and keep them at one loss for the season.
2017 Results/Highlights: Atlanta United defeated a 10-man LA Galaxy team 4-0. The Five Stripes scored four goals in the first half of the match, which included a brace from former AU player Yasmil Asad, one goal from Josef Martinez and one from Miguel Almiron. In the second half of the match, the Five Stripes dominated in terms of possession and prevented the Galaxy from scoring to earn its eighth clean sheet of the season.
April 28 – Montreal Impact (3-6-0)
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2018 Results /Highlights: Miguel Almiron and Kevin Kratz each scored a pair of goals to rally Atlanta United past the Montreal Impact 4-1 on Saturday.
2017 Results/Highlights: Hector Villalba and Jeff Larentowicz led the way for the Five Stripes in the match as Atlanta United defeated the Montreal Impact 2-0, despite Almiron suffering a hamstring injury. Villalba scored Atlanta United's first goal in the 28th minute. Martinez almost scored a goal for the Five Stripes but his shot was blocked by Montreal's Evan Bush. Larentowicz added the second point for the Five Stripes and earned his first goal of the season.
May 5 – at Chicago Fire (2-4-2)
2018 Results /Highlights: Atlanta United took sole possession atop the MLS Eastern Conference after defeating the Chicago Fire 2-1, combined with a loss by NYCFC. Sitting at 22 points, the Five Stripes (7-1-1) used a strong second-half performance to stretch its unbeaten streak to eight straight games.
Ezequiel Barco started the scoring trend for Atlanta United in the 53rd minute of the second half, followed by Josef Martinez adding the second goal in the 57th minute, notching his league-leading seventh goal of the season.
2017 Results/Highlights: The Chicago Fire needed only two goals and solid defense to keep the Five Stripes off the scoreboard, defeating Atlanta United 2-0. Luis Solignac and Nemanja Nikolic scored the two goals for the Fire.
May 9 – Sporting Kansas City (6-2-2)
2018 Results /Highlights:
2017 Results/Highlights: Atlanta United rallied and played Sporting Kansas City to a 1-1 draw. Latif Blessing drew a penalty against Leandro Pirez, setting up Benny Feilhaber to score for Sporting Kansas City in the 59th minute. Atlanta United used a score from Jacob Peterson in the 69th minute to bring the score to 1-1. Both teams failed to score over the next 20 minutes.
May 13 – at Orlando City SC (6-2-1)
2018 Results /Highlights:
2017 Results/Highlights: Atlanta United defeated Orlando City SC 1-0 in the first ever match between the two teams. In a game that featured lots of defensive stands and heated moments, Villalba scored a goal for the Five Stripes in the 86th minute to secure the victory.
AU goalkeeper Brad Guzan made his Atlanta debut, and he did not disappoint. Guzan recorded five critical saves and a few blocks to help the Five Stripes defensively in stopping Orlando’s offensive attack.
May 20 – New York Red Bulls (5-3-0)
2018 Results /Highlights:
2017 Results/Highlights: In front of a sellout crowd of more than 55,000 people, Atlanta United lost to the New York Red Bulls 2-1 in its first ever MLS match.
Former Atlanta United player Yamil Asad scored the first goal in AU history late in the first half. The Red Bulls got on the board in the second half, when Daniel Royer scored on a header in the 76th minute.
Then, in the 83rd minute, officials ruled that Atlanta's Anton Walkes kicked the ball into the Atlanta United net for the Red Bulls' go-ahead goal. New York's Bradley Wright-Phillips appeared to score the goal on a pass from Kemar Lawrence in the 83rd minute, but the decisive contact on the ball was ruled to have come from Walkes.
Despite the loss, Blank called the sellout “a tribute to Atlanta.”
May 30 – New England Revolution (4-3-2)
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2018 Results /Highlights:
2017 Results/Highlights: Coming off a strong win against FC Dallas Sunday afternoon to begin its six-game home stand, Atlanta United brought the same energy and excitement to Mercedes-Benz Stadium Wednesday evening as Atlanta defeated New England Revolution team, 7-0, becoming the first expansion team to score seven goals in one game.
Atlanta United’s 7-0 victory tied the largest margin of victory in Major League Soccer history, set three times previously by LA Galaxy’s 1998 victory against Dallas Burn, Chicago Fire’s victory against the Kansas City Wizards in 2001 and the New York Red Bulls' victory against New York City FC last year. Atlanta’s seven goals also set a season high, passing its original mark of six recorded against Minnesota United.
Cox Media Group