It didn’t start clean, but it finished exactly how Atlanta United needed it to.
Atlanta United flipped an early deficit into a confident 3-1 win over CF Montréal Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, riding a breakout performance from Saba Lobjanidze, who delivered his first two goals of the season. Latte Lath added one of his own as the 5-Stripes pushed their win streak to three matches across all competitions.
And the way it unfolded? Very much a tale of momentum, pressure, and finally finishing chances.
Montréal struck first — and fast. Just six minutes in, a turnover in the buildup proved costly. Prince Owusu intercepted the pass and quickly found Matty Longstaff charging into space. From the top of the box, Longstaff buried his shot into the bottom corner to give the visitors a 1-0 lead before Atlanta could settle in.
It nearly got worse.
In the 24th minute, Wiki Carmona ripped a left-footed strike that beat the keeper but not the post, clanging off the right side and keeping Atlanta within reach. That moment felt like a turning point — not on the scoreboard, but in energy.
Atlanta responded.
Lobjanidze started to find space, running onto a through ball from Cooper Sanchez in the 26th minute, forcing a save at the near post. Moments later, Matías Galarza had a clean look from distance but sent it just over. The pressure was building — and it finally broke through late in the half.
In the 41st minute, Pedro Amador and Alexey Miranchuk linked up with a smooth give-and-go outside the box. Miranchuk slipped a pass into Lobjanidze, who cut inside, beat his defender, and calmly slotted home the equalizer. You could feel the shift inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Then came the dagger before halftime.
Deep in stoppage time, Atlanta forced a turnover high up the pitch. Latte Lath got involved in a quick exchange with Miranchuk, got the ball back in stride, and finished into an open net to flip the match on its head. From trailing early to leading 2-1 at the break — Atlanta had full control.
And they didn’t let up.
Right out of halftime, Sanchez set the tone again, pressing Montréal’s backline and winning possession just 25 yards out. One quick pass later, Lobjanidze stepped into space and fired home his second goal of the night to stretch the lead to 3-1.
That sequence told you everything about this Atlanta side right now — aggressive, opportunistic, and confident.
Lobjanidze nearly turned it into a perfect night, making a long run behind the defense after another setup from Latte Lath. He had the hat trick in sight, but his final touch got away from him as he tried to round goalkeeper Thomas Gillier, and the chance slipped out of bounds.
Still, the job was already done.
Atlanta controlled the tempo the rest of the way, closing out a win that not only secured three points but continued to build momentum at a critical stretch of the season.
Now sitting at 3-7-1 (10 points), Atlanta United heads into its next matchup with something it hasn’t had consistently this year — rhythm.
Next up, the 5-Stripes return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, May 9 to host the LA Galaxy, looking to keep this run alive and keep climbing.
