ATL Takes Lead but Settles for Draw After Houston’s Late Goal

The Five Stripes battled back from an early deficit to take a 2-1 lead in the second half, only to see Houston find a late equalizer and leave Mercedes-Benz Stadium with a 2-2 draw on Saturday evening.

Dynamo Strike Early, but Atlanta Battles Back

The Dynamo stunned the home crowd, grabbing an early lead in the 5th minute. A corner kick led to a header that ricocheted off the crossbar to Franco Escobar, who tucked it away to put Houston up 1-0.

Atlanta battled back, though, with the equalizer coming in the 25th minute. Daniel Ríos forced a turnover and slipped a pass to Luke Brennan, who crossed to Thiago Almada. Almada’s shot was saved, but Ríos buried the rebound for his second goal this season.

Silva Provides the Go-Ahead Goal

The Five Stripes came out firing after halftime and nearly took the lead in the 54th minute. A free kick found Dax McCarty, who flicked it to Derrick Williams for a shot that was denied by the goalkeeper.

Atlanta’s pressure paid off minutes later. Almada sprung Caleb Wiley, who found Xande Silva down the left. Silva sprung passed two defenders and propelled the ball into the far upper corner of the net, marking Silva’s second goal of the campaign, matching last season’s total.

With the lead in hand, Atlanta seemed poised to take all three points. But in the 89th minute, Houston leveled the match again. A quick counterattack led to a cross that Latif Blessing launched with his right foot into the net.

Though Atlanta battled back twice to lead, the late goal was a gut punch for the five stripes, who likely felt they deserved all three points after controlling most of the match. However, soccer can be cruel, and a single moment of brilliance is all it takes.

While the draw felt like a loss, Silva’s moment of brilliance provided a glimmer of hope that Atlanta could get back to their winning ways. The Five Stripes (4-8-5, 17 points) will look to build on the performance when they travel to D.C. United on Wednesday, hoping their luck changes and they can finally turn some of these draws into wins.