Atlanta United Wins Second Straight, Tops Minnesota 2-1

Atlanta United is starting to build some momentum.

The Five Stripes defeated Minnesota United 2-1 Wednesday night at Allianz Field, earning their second consecutive victory behind goals from Tomás Jacob and Tristan Muyumba.

Muyumba has now scored in three straight matches, continuing a strong stretch for the midfielder.

Atlanta opened the scoring in the 37th minute. After a corner kick, Muyumba’s shot was blocked and fell to Jacob on the right side of the box. Jacob controlled the ball and blasted a right-footed strike across goal and into the top corner for his second MLS goal.

Minnesota equalized in the 58th minute through Anthony Markanich, who finished from close range after a header hit the crossbar and dropped near the goal line.

Atlanta responded in the 78th minute. Steven Alzate sent a long ball up the right side to Jacob, who reached it near the end line and delivered a cross into the box. Alexey Miranchuk redirected the ball to Muyumba, who created space and fired a shot into the upper-left corner to give Atlanta a 2-1 lead.

From there, goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos helped seal the result. Hoyos made two huge saves in quick succession in the 81st minute, denying Minnesota from close range and then stopping the rebound to preserve Atlanta’s advantage.

The Five Stripes held on for all three points and improved to 5-12-3 with 18 points.

More importantly, Atlanta has now won back-to-back matches after defeating Red Bull New York 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in its previous outing.

For a team that has struggled to find consistency this season, two straight wins could be exactly the spark Atlanta needed.

The Five Stripes return home Sunday, Aug. 23, when they host Sporting Kansas City at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. ET.