Atlanta United defender Andrew Gutman #15 dribbles during the first half of the match against Charlotte FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA on Saturday May 13, 2023. (Photo by Kyle Hess/Atlanta United)

Atlanta United falls to Charlotte FC

In front of of 43,427 fans, Atlanta United fell to Charlotte FC 3-1 Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Juanjo Purata scored his first goal of the season. It was the seventh in his MLS career. Thiago Almada added his league-leading seventh assist, but Atlanta was forced to play most of the second half with 10 men after Andrew Gutman was shown a straight red card after video review.

“There are a couple things to fix before we can focus on the attack. I think we started the game pretty well, creating three chances, two of which were very clear, before they made it 1-0, and we couldn’t score, but I feel like we are not at the level of intensity that we need to have, both on and off the ball.” said Atlanta United Head Coach Gonzalo Pineda.

Atlanta United (5-4-3, 18 points) returns to action when it hosts Colorado Rapids on Wednesday, May 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (7:30 p.m., MLS Season Pass, 92.9 The Game, La Mejor). All Atlanta United matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app.