Atlanta United Falls 2-0 at New England

Atlanta United came up short on the road Saturday night, falling 2-0 to the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium. The match also marked a milestone for Leo Afonso, who made his MLS club debut as a second-half substitute.

The Five Stripes started brightly and dictated much of the first half. Saba Lobjanidze nearly opened the scoring in the 11th minute, bending a free kick just wide of the near post. Atlanta continued to press and forced Revolution goalkeeper Matt Turner into four saves before halftime. Pedro Amador tested him first in the 15th minute after a sharp give-and-go with Miguel Almirón, while Alexey Miranchuk fired a left-footed strike from the top of the box moments later. Steven Alzate came closest in the 38th minute, driving a low shot that Turner pushed aside at full stretch.

At the other end, Jayden Hibbert kept Atlanta level with a strong performance between the posts, finishing with five saves. His biggest came in the 67th minute when he denied Will Sands from close range to preserve the 0-0 scoreline.

But New England finally broke through in the 72nd minute. Dor Turgeman, introduced off the bench, latched onto a pass from Carles Gil and buried a left-footed strike into the top corner. Just three minutes later, Turgeman turned provider, sprinting down the right flank before squaring to Leo Campana for a clean finish that doubled the Revolution’s lead.

After the match, head coach Ronny Deila shared his frustration with his team’s second-half performance.

“I think overall the first 60 minutes were even, maybe we had a little bit better than them. But we are losing too many challenges over and over again. It looks like they want it more than us,” Deila said. “When you look at challenges, running back, staying compact, being aggressive, we are too soft.”

Atlanta couldn’t find a response in the closing stages and left Foxborough empty-handed. The Five Stripes (5-14-12, 27 points) will look to bounce back when they travel to Los Angeles to face LAFC on Sunday, Oct. 5 at BMO Stadium (9 p.m. ET).