Atlanta United Falls 3-1 to FC Cincinnati at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Atlanta United saw another hard-fought match slip away late Saturday night, falling 3-1 to FC Cincinnati at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The Five Stripes battled back to level the match in the second half behind a goal from Miguel Almirón, but Cincinnati scored twice late to walk away with all three points.

Atlanta started aggressively and created one of the first real chances of the night in the seventh minute.

Tristan Muyumba worked his way into the box from the left side and sent a lofted cross toward Almirón in the center. Almirón connected on the volley, but his attempt curled just wide of the left post.

Cincinnati had a dangerous chance of its own in the 27th minute after winning possession in Atlanta’s defensive third.

Obinna Nwobodo drove into the box and found Kevin Denkey, who controlled the ball, spun and fired toward goal. But Elías Báez closed quickly and came up with a crucial sliding block to keep the match scoreless.

Atlanta nearly grabbed the lead just before halftime.

In the 40th minute, Breel Embolo helped start a well-worked sequence by finding Tomás Jacob on a penetrating run. Jacob quickly moved the ball to Muyumba, whose shot toward the lower-left corner was saved by Cincinnati goalkeeper Evan Louro.

Báez followed up on the rebound, but Louro recovered in time to make another save.

The teams went into halftime scoreless.

Cincinnati broke through seven minutes into the second half.

David Douděra sent a long ball forward to Tom Barlow, who headed it into the path of Denkey. The striker stayed composed inside the box, used a fake shot to beat both Enea Mihaj and goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos, then finished into the open net to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.

Atlanta responded.

In the 69th minute, the Five Stripes finally found the equalizer through Almirón.

After a cross into the box took a deflection off Jacob, Almirón attacked the loose ball. Embolo helped keep the play alive by controlling it and laying it back into Almirón’s path.

Almirón finished through traffic to make it 1-1, scoring his fifth goal of the season.

The play also gave Embolo his first assist as an Atlanta United player.

With the match level, both teams pushed for a winner.

Atlanta had opportunities to take control, but Cincinnati eventually found the decisive goal in the 84th minute.

Kyle Smith recovered a loose ball outside the Atlanta box and played a quick pass back into Barlow. The forward struck from the right side, and although Hoyos got a fingertip to the shot, the ball still found the top-left corner to put Cincinnati ahead 2-1.

Atlanta tried to respond again, but Cincinnati put the match away deep in stoppage time.

On the counterattack, Barlow found substitute Ender Echenique on the right side. Echenique pushed forward and slipped a pass between two defenders to Denkey.

The striker ran onto the ball and finished first time into the bottom-left corner for his second goal of the night, sealing the 3-1 victory.

For Atlanta, the final score was harsh considering how competitive the match remained for most of the night.

The Five Stripes created chances in both halves, found a response after going behind and were level until the final minutes.

But Cincinnati was more clinical when the match was on the line.

Almirón continues to be one of Atlanta’s most important attacking pieces, while Embolo’s first assist for the club was another encouraging sign as the two continue building chemistry.

Still, Atlanta was unable to turn those positive moments into points.

The Five Stripes now turn their attention to the road.

Atlanta United returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 17, when it travels to Québec to face CF Montréal at Stade Saputo.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.