Atlanta United Falls 2-0 to New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium

Atlanta United came up short on the road Saturday night, falling 2-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium. Two first-half goals from the hosts proved to be the difference, as the Five Stripes were unable to convert promising chances in the second half. Atlanta will now regroup during the upcoming FIFA international window before returning to action June 12 against New York City FC at Yankee Stadium.

Match Recap

The Red Bulls wasted no time getting on the scoreboard. Just three minutes into the match, Cameron Harper capitalized on a defensive mistake in Atlanta’s half. Harper intercepted a misplaced pass near the top of the box, took a few touches to his left, and buried a shot from 10 yards out past a diving Brad Guzan to give the home side a 1-0 advantage.

Atlanta’s best opportunity of the first half came on the counter in the 26th minute. Miguel Almirón flicked a long clearance into the path of Saba Lobjanidze, who surged down the right flank and unleashed a right-footed strike from just inside the box. His effort was on target, but New York goalkeeper Carlos Coronel made the save to preserve the lead.

Just minutes later, the Red Bulls doubled their advantage. Harper found space down the right wing and whipped in a low, one-touch cross to Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who calmly finished into the corner from close range to make it 2-0 by the 29th minute.

Looking for a spark, Atlanta made three substitutions to start the second half, bringing on Brooks Lennon, Mateusz Klich, and Noah Cobb. The changes nearly paid off in the 54th minute, as Klich played a clever through ball down the wing to Lennon, who delivered a sharp low cross that just missed connecting with forward Latte Lath.

Atlanta thought it had pulled one back moments later when Latte Lath finished a rebound inside the six-yard box. However, the goal was called back due to Derrick Williams being ruled offside in the buildup after heading a free kick from Alexey Miranchuk.

The Five Stripes continued to press for a goal late in the match. In the 78th minute, Bartosz Slisz combined with Klich at the top of the box and slipped a pass through to Jamal Thiaré. The striker was in alone on goal, but Coronel came up big again with a crucial point-blank save.

Following the match, Head Coach Ronny Deila acknowledged the team’s struggles.

“I think this is a lot of the same story we have seen,” Deila said. “Giving away two goals—I don’t think [New York Red Bulls] are playing really well. I don’t think they are much better than us. They had the ball a little bit more than us, but the two goals are too easy. You cannot do that. We look fatigued, I think so. We didn’t manage to be accurate enough when we played. We had some players who got in good positions in the middle of the pitch, but we didn’t end up getting in the last third of the pitch.”

Atlanta United (4-8-5, 17 points) will use the international break to reset before heading back to New York to take on NYCFC on Thursday, June 12 at Yankee Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.