Back home after last week’s disappointing showing against Charlotte FC, Atlanta United will host the New York Red Bulls on Saturday in hopes of earning a win over its Eastern Conference foe.
Atlanta (1-1-0, 3 points) followed its 3-2 season-opening win over CF Montreal with a 2-0 defeat in Charlotte, where it mustered just three shots on goal despite outshooting its opponent 16-10. Two Charlotte goals in the first nine minutes of the second half were enough to seal coach Ronny Deila’s first loss in Atlanta — a trend he doesn’t want to see continue.
“When we got down 1-0, I think we lost organization,” Deila said. “Some of our players went into their shells, and we didn’t do what we talked about. As a group, we have to learn from this kind of experience. We don’t like to lose, especially because, in my opinion, we were even with them, if not better in the first half.”
The club will look for continued production from Emmanuel Latte Lath, who scored two goals against Montreal less than a month after signing with Atlanta on Feb. 4 for a deal reported to be worth $22 million, marking a league record transfer fee.
New York (1-1-0, 3 points) got its first victory of 2025 last time out, posting a 2-0 home win over Nashville SC. Mohammed Sofo and Emil Forsberg knocked in one first-half goal apiece, earning the Red Bulls their first win since their improbable run to the MLS Cup a season ago.
Second-year coach Sandro Schwarz senses a shift in the franchise’s energy, one that he hopes is prolonged through the beginning of the year.
“We had a great event in our stadium last week with our supporters, where we had conversations that were very open and thankful from both sides,” Schwarz said. “To compare the emotions from the fans now since the beginning of last season, it’s great. It’s the reason we are working so hard.”
After Saturday’s match in Atlanta, New York will host Orlando City SC and Toronto FC at home in back-to-back weeks.
–Field Level Media
