Late Goals Sink Atlanta United in 2-1 Loss

For more than 70 minutes, it looked like Atlanta United was finally going to send the home crowd into the FIFA World Cup break with something to celebrate.

Instead, two late goals flipped the entire night.

Atlanta United fell 2-1 to the LA Galaxy Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in a match that felt firmly in Atlanta’s control before slipping away late. Jay Fortune provided the breakthrough moment with his first goal of the season, but Gabriel Pec’s late brace stunned the 5-Stripes and spoiled what had been one of Atlanta’s stronger performances in recent weeks.

The opening stages were physical and cautious, with both sides struggling to create clear opportunities through the first 20 minutes. Defensively, Atlanta looked organized early and kept the Galaxy from finding much rhythm.

The first real spark came from Saba Lobjanidze.

After receiving a pass from Matías Galarza on the left wing, Lobjanidze beat his defender with a quick first touch before cutting inside and curling a dangerous shot toward goal. LA goalkeeper JT Marcinkowski barely got enough on it, making a fingertip save to keep the match scoreless.

Atlanta thought it had found the breakthrough just before halftime.

In the 41st minute, Juan Berrocal rose up and headed home a corner kick that sent Mercedes-Benz Stadium into celebration mode. But after review, the goal was waved off with Galarza ruled to be interfering with the goalkeeper. Instead of heading into the break with momentum and a lead, Atlanta was left frustrated in a scoreless match.

The second half felt different though.

Atlanta started pushing higher up the pitch and creating more dangerous chances. In the 61st minute, Elias Báez delivered a cross into the box that found Tomás Jacob completely unmarked. Jacob struck the volley cleanly, but the effort smashed off the upper-left post in what became another missed opportunity that loomed large later.

Then came the breakthrough.

Less than 10 minutes after entering the match, Jay Fortune changed the energy completely. Picking up a loose ball near the left side, Fortune dribbled through traffic, beat multiple defenders, and curled a beautiful strike from the top of the box past the outstretched arm of Marcinkowski to give Atlanta a 1-0 lead.

It was the kind of moment Atlanta desperately needed — and Fortune delivered it with confidence.

But the lead didn’t last long.

In the 74th minute, LA answered quickly on the counterattack. Marco Reus drove through the middle of the pitch before finding Gabriel Pec isolated one-on-one. After a missed challenge gave Pec space, he calmly finished past Lucas Hoyos to level the match at 1-1.

Five minutes later, the Galaxy struck again.

Reus slipped another dangerous ball behind Atlanta’s defense, and Pec made another timely run into the box. Hoyos initially made the save on Pec’s first attempt, but Atlanta failed to clear the rebound, allowing Pec to tap home the winner into an empty net.

Just like that, the momentum — and the match — completely changed.

For Atlanta, the loss felt especially frustrating considering how much of the match they controlled. The 5-Stripes created chances, defended well for long stretches, and finally got the attacking spark they had been searching for. But defensive lapses late proved costly once again.

Now sitting at 3-8-1 (10 points), Atlanta United heads back on the road searching for answers before the break.

The 5-Stripes return to action Saturday, May 16, when they travel to face Orlando City SC in MLS regular season play.