Atlanta United midfielder Matheus Rossetto #20 runs with the ball during the match against Toronto FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA on Saturday March 4, 2023. (Photo by Kyle Hess/Atlanta United)

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Atlanta United Draw 1-1 vs Toronto FC

By Yakiri Thomas / March 5, 2023

Atlanta United returned to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday to face Toronto FC in front of 42,817 adoring fans.

Atlanta held a 4-4-4 all-time record against Toronto in MLS regular season matches: 3-0-3 at home and 1-4-1 on the road in the series. This is the first meeting between the two teams since Sept. 10, 2022, a 4-2 win by Atlanta at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Thiago Almada was coming off an MLS Player of the Matchday performance that included scoring both goals in stoppage time in Atlanta’s 2-1 win against San Jose, also claiming MLS Goal of the Matchday honors for his game-winning free kick.

Game Recap: After the first half both Atlanta and Toronto was scoreless.

Early into the 2nd half Toronto Michael Bradley found Federico Bernardeschi who scored left-footed shot to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

In the sixteenth minute a goal was scored by Matheus Rossetto, marking his first MLS career goal. Thiago Almada recorded his first assist of the season.

In the 59th minute Giorgos Giakoumakis made his club debut along with Derrick Etienne Jr. who entered the game as a substitute. Within a minute later Etienne recorded his first assist for the club.

At the end  Toronto FC goalkeeper Sean Johnson sprung into action after a missed opportunity by Andrew Gutman to preserve the 1-1 draw.

 

“I have to say that my sports science department, my coaches, and my players did a great job this preseason. I told you last year, overall, that was the most intense training sessions.” said Atlanta United Head Coach Gonzalo Pineda. “Atlanta United had ever had, and this preseason we surpassed that by 30 or 40 percent in terms of intensity. So, we feel like physically we can sustain this, and we will see how we are doing when the congested part of the season starts.”

Up Next: Atlanta United returns to action when it travels to face Charlotte FC March 11 at Bank of America Stadium.

 

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