Match Preview - Atlanta United
Game Info
Kickoff: 8:09pm CT
Watch: Apple TV
Location: Q2 Stadium - Austin, TX
All-Time H2H Record
Austin FC has an all-time record of 1W-0D-0L against Atlanta United.
The two clubs met in the summer of the 2022 season, a game that saw ATX notably rotate players like Felipe Martins and Danny Hoesen into the starting XI in the midst of the club’s longest unbeaten streak of seven matches. Austin dominated the day, scoring two goals in the opening 20 minutes (including Felipe’s only goal in an Austin FC uniform) before Driussi came off the bench to bag the third in the second half. It’s a fun highlight package to flip on and “remember some guys!”
Atlanta United Recent Form
Now more than one-third of the way through the 2025 MLS regular season, there’s a handful of clubs that would be in the conversation for biggest disappointment relative to expectations. The defending MLS Cup Champion LA Galaxy would likely top the list for most, as they’re currently setting the league record for number of matches played without a win to start a season. But if you don’t have the Galaxy at the top of the list, Atlanta United may be the team in pole position.
Two-thirds of MLS pundits predicted ATL to finish either first or second in the Eastern Conference. Through 12 matches, they’re 14th, only above CF Montreal who have scored six total goals.
The “Five Stripes” were founded in 2014 but did not begin MLS play until the 2017 season. They are owned by Arthur Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot and maybe more well-known to American sports fans as the owner of the Atlanta Falcons. Both of Blank’s teams share Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which is known for the most affordable concessions in both the NFL and MLS. Hotdogs run $2 and other affordably priced items on the “Fan First” menu include $2 refillable sodas, $3 waffle fries, $5 Bud Lights, $2 water bottles, $2 popcorn, $3 pizza slices and $5 cheeseburgers.
Their first three seasons are likely unmatched in terms of success for an expansion side, with only LAFC as a potential rival in that conversation. Atlanta’s first season saw them finish fourth in the Supporter’s Shield standings after accumulating 55 points, but they were bounced out of the playoffs in the first round. They had a whopping 36,000 season ticket holders in that first season, about 15,000 more than Q2 Stadium has seats.
The next season the team leveled up, finishing with 69 points (somehow not first in the East with New York Red Bulls recording 71) and the league’s second best record. This time they finished the job, winning MLS Cup behind 35 goals from club legend and current San Jose Earthquakes forward, Josef Martinez, who won the league’s MVP award. They also got 25 goal contributions from Miguel Almiron, who was later sold for a league record $24 million to Newcastle in the English Premier League.
In 2019, ATL had another strong showing in the league, finishing third in the shield standings. They were defeated in the Eastern Conference finals but still came away with some silverware that season as the 2019 US Open Cup Champions.
Since then, the club has only made it past the first round of the MLS Cup Playoffs once, which happened to be last season when they finished on just 40 points (two less than Austin FC) and won the wild card game to sneak into the postseason as the Eastern Conference’s eighth and final playoff team. They then went on to upset Lionel Messi and top seeded Inter Miami in a best-of-three series before being eliminated in the conference semifinals.
Similar to Austin FC, the team underwent some significant changes over the last two transfer windows. Like ATX, Atlanta has an entire new batch of designated players and a new head coach. Well, not exactly all “new,” as Almiron was brought back to MLS from Newcastle in the offseason for a $10 million fee. They also broke the MLS record for inbound transfer fee when they bought striker Emmannuel Latte Lath from English Championship side Middlesbrough. Their third DP, Alexsey Miranchuk, was brought in during the summer window of last season from Atalanta in Italy’s Serie A.
As we discussed on Episode 223, this team also has a “secret” fourth designated player in Mateusz Klich. In the offseason, Atlanta traded for Klich from DC United for the 23rd pick in December’s draft. He still occupies a DP slot on DC’s roster, as they’re paying the majority of his salary until his contract runs out at the end of this season. It’s a head scratching move that I’m not sure we have a good answer to, outside of DCU has some cheap ass owners. You have to feel for DC United fans!
Ronny Delia, who was a name bandied about in the rumor mill during the Austin coaching search this past fall, was hired as the Five Stripes fifth full-time head coach. Delia won the 2021 MLS Cup with NYCFC.
Not only did Atlanta outdo Austin FC in terms of their spending since last summer by about 33% and have higher expectations in the preseason predictions and odds, but they’ve managed to top the level of disappointing results too. ATL has won just two games, with one of them being an opening day win over CF Montreal. I mentioned earlier that Montreal had scored just six league goals through their 12 matches. Two of them were against Atlanta on the road!
While the offensive output hasn’t been anywhere near the club’s presumed ceiling with their expensive attack, the team hasn’t had too much trouble scoring in the grand scheme of things. They’ve netted 13 goals, which is 20th in MLS. Where they’ve truly struggled is on the defensive end, giving up 22 goals. That’s fourth worst in MLS, behind only the winless LA Galaxy, the pourous DC United and a wild Chicago Fire team.
Wednesday’s match will be the final game in a stretch of four road games in their last five, an unforgiving piece of the schedule that has seen ATL only earn a single point in a 1-1 home draw against Nashville SC. They looked poised to steal a road point against Chicago on Saturday only to concede the winning goal to the Fire in the 86’.
When they’re full strength, the Five Stripes want to play a very direct, line-breaking style to lean on their high priced attack. But a lot of Atlanta’s first choice options played big minutes in Chi-Town, with Latte Lath, Almiron and Miranchuk all playing the full 90. With this match already pushed back to an 8pm kickoff due to extreme heat and a home match back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Philadelphia Union on the schedule for Saturday, it would not be surprsing to see Delia rotate a bit to begin this one.
Austin FC Recent Form
While 26 of the league’s 30 teams are in action on Wednesday, Austin FC has had a busier schedule than their opponents as Atlanta is not participating in the US Open Cup this season. ATX likely has more tired legs overall compared to the Five Stripes, so it wouldn’t be a shock at all to see more tinkering with the starting group from head coach Nico Estévez and his staff in this one.
We did get a media availability session on Thursday morning where, much to our chagrin, Estévez ruled out right back Mikkel Desler for the 11th consecutive match. With the Danish fullback still on the mend and midfielders Dani Pereira and Robert Taylor sidelined with him, there are only so many options Austin has to shake things up in the midst of this brutal schedule.
Another big factor in the equation this Wednesday will be the weather. MLS has already adjusted the start time of this match due to extreme heat. With the temperatures forecasted to clear 104 degrees late in the afternoon, kickoff is now scheduled for 8:00pm, which still won’t assuage concerns about the ability of players like Oleksandr Svatok and Besard Sabovic to make it through the Texas heat. We’ve seen both players struggle at times over the last month, especially in the road match in humid Houston in late April.
Expect to see hydration breaks worked into each half of this one by the head official, who is scheduled to be Malik Badawi. Austin FC has only had Badawi once in club history, last season’s 2-0 road loss against Colorado Rapids.
But both teams have to play in the same heat, so it’s hardly an excuse that ATX can lean on if they continue to struggle on Wednesday. With the team’s form over the last six weeks trending downwards, this is a game that the Verde and Black must earn all three points from. They’ve already lost two of their six home matches in 2025 and as we discussed on the show earlier in the season, teams that lose five or more games at home in a season typically don’t finish higher than a seven or eight seed. Considering the strength of schedule facing Austin over the remainder of May, this is one of the “easier” fixtures left this month.
Taking all of that into account, I will be raising my concern level on designated player Osman Bukari if he isn’t inserted back into the starting group at home. The speedy Ghanian winger has fallen out of favor in the last few games and if this isn’t the time for him to catch a start, then I will be thoroughly convinced that something else is afoot that we aren’t privy to.
Austin FC has be setting all the wrong records of late, between the 5-1 blowout at the hands of Vancouver in April to the worst home margin of defeat in club history against Minnesota two weeks back, this has to be a win. In the event of a loss this Wednesday, which would be the fourth consecutive league defeat, ATX would put themselves on the precipice of tying another nasty club record.
The longest MLS losing streak in the history of the Verde and Black is five, set back in the expansion season of 2021. With the top team in the league in Vancouver coming to town on Saturday, I’m coming around to the declaration that E made on Sunday’s episode, this game against Atlanta United is a “must win” for Austin FC.
Injury Report
ATX:
Robert Taylor (Out - Hamstring)
Mikkel Desler (Out - Hamstring)
Dani Pereira (Out - Hip Flexor)
ATL:
Stian Gregersen (Out - Quad)
Pedro Amador (Out - Adductor)
Brooks Lennon (Out - Hamstring)
Atlanta United Players to Watch
Emmanuel Latte Lath - The 26-year-old striker arrived in MLS this offseason as the most expensive inbound transfer in league history after recording 29 goals and 4 assists across 67 appearances for Middlesbrough in the English Championship. He hit the ground running in the early parts of the year, scoring five goals in his first six appearances. Latte Lath has also been a bit of a hot head to begin his MLS tenure, catching a yellow card accumulation suspension before the calendar flipped to May. He also picked up a caution against Chicago last weekend, meaning he’s just two away from another suspension.
Brad Guzan - The USMNT veteran still in net for the Five Stripes at age 40 after a lengthy career between MLS, the English Premier League and back again. Like Latte Lath, Guzan’s last stop before arriving in Atlanta was also Middlesbrough, though that was back in 2017. He’s made 210 appearances for ATL since then, including winning the 2018 MLS Cup and 2019 US Open Cup with the club. The beginning of 2025 hasn’t been kind to Guzan, who is allowing 1.83 goals per 90 through 12 matches, which would be his worst rate since his final season with Aston Villa back in 2016.
Miguel Almiron - Reunited with his former MLS Cup winning teammate in Guzan, Almiron made his MLS return this season after 186 appearances in the EPL with Newcastle. He got off to a bit of a slow start in 2025 but has found his offensive footing of late, recording four goal contributions over his last eight games. Almiron has been aggressive in hunting his shot, recording four or more shots in five of his last seven apperances.
Austin FC Keys to the Game
Stay In The Hunt - Ending this preview on what I view as a positive from the last two matches. One thing that Austin FC hadn’t showed us until last week was the ability to respond after going behind. In fact, they had only scored one goal from a losing position prior to the El Paso match, and that was at the death against Vancouver with the team already down by five. Against the Locos, ATX managed to explode for three goals in a seven minute flurry to survive and advance in the US Open Cup. While they didn’t end up completing the comeback against FC Cincinnati on the road last Saturday, they did secure an equalizing goal after conceding early and had the match level with 15 minutes remaining. It was more than I expected in the moment and was more tangible fight than we’ve seen from this side over the first two and a half months of the season. If Austin goes behind against Atlanta, as they’ve done in five of their last six matches, the team has proven over the last week that they do in fact possess the mental fortitude to not completely wilt as soon as a deficit appears on the scoreboard. Keep your head and stay in the hunt!
Predictions
ZG - 2-1 Austin FC
E - 2-1 Austin FC
