Late Push Not Enough as Atlanta United Falls 3-2 to Charlotte FC at Home

Atlanta United came out swinging Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium but couldn’t hold off Charlotte FC, ultimately falling 3-2 in a frustrating finish. Tristan Muyumba got the crowd on their feet early with a beautiful header to open the scoring, but three unanswered goals from Charlotte in the second half flipped the script. A late strike from Daniel Latte Lath gave Atlanta a glimmer of hope, but it wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.

Atlanta struck first in the 18th minute thanks to some slick build-up play. Miguel Almirón made a run down the right side and attempted to cut the ball back inside. It took a deflection but found Bartosz Slisz, who whipped in a perfect cross. Muyumba rose up and delivered a textbook header into the side netting—1-0, Five Stripes.

Defensively, Atlanta looked locked in early, holding Charlotte without a single shot on goal in the first half. But that intensity didn’t carry over into the second.

Charlotte came out the locker room pressing and found the equalizer quickly. Kerwin Vargas sent a low cross into the box where Idan Toklomati slipped it past Brad Guzan. From there, the tide shifted.

Atlanta had a few chances to reclaim momentum—Luke Brennan connected with Latte Lath, whose knockdown gave Muyumba a clean look—but Charlotte’s keeper Kristijan Kahlina made a big-time save.

Charlotte grabbed the lead in the 59th minute thanks to a Wilfried Zaha finish, and they didn’t stop there. Pep Biel added another in the 77th, putting the visitors up 3-1.

Still, Atlanta didn’t go down quietly. In the 86th, Almirón and Saba Lobjanidze combined to send Latte Lath through on goal. His powerful finish sneaked through Kahlina’s gloves to make it 3-2, but that’s where the rally ended.

Atlanta United drops to 4-11-8 on the season and will look to bounce back next Saturday, July 26, when the squad hosts Seattle Sounders FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.