Late Night, First Cup Win

Starting Lineup

Atlanta United entered its first U.S. Open Cup match as the MLS side expected to advance. Charleston Battery made sure it was not that simple.

It started late. Very late. A weather delay pushed kickoff at Fifth Third Bank Stadium back to 10:10 p.m., leaving Atlanta United and Charleston Battery to play a fourth-round cup tie that stretched past midnight in Kennesaw.

Atlanta was making its first appearance in the Open Cup, and Charleston arrived from the USL with a chance to knock out a first-year MLS club. By the time the match kicked off at 10:10 p.m., the weather delay had turned a fourth-round cup tie into a late-night test in Kennesaw.

Atlanta eventually found its way through. Kevin Kratz, Josef Martínez, and Brandon Vázquez scored in a 3-2 comeback that gave the Five Stripes their first Open Cup win and sent them into a Round of 16 road match against Miami FC.

The result was what Atlanta wanted. The path there was much less comfortable.

1st Half

Atlanta opened its first Open Cup match with a changed lineup.

Miles Robinson and Zach Loyd made their official club debuts. Jeff Larentowicz wore the captain’s armband with Michael Parkhurst out of the starting group. Mark Bloom, Anton Walkes, Robinson, and Loyd formed the back line in front of Alec Kann. Larentowicz and Chris McCann sat in midfield behind Kevin Kratz, with Brandon Vázquez, Miguel Almirón, and Josef Martínez across the front.

Charleston tested that group almost as soon as the match began. In the 3rd minute, O’Brian Woodbine launched a long throw into the box. Forrest Lasso rose into the crowd and redirected the ball past Kann, giving the Battery an early 1-0 lead.

Atlanta had more of the ball after the goal, but Charleston kept enough players behind it to crowd the penalty area. The Battery forced Atlanta to play through traffic instead of giving it a clear path to goal.

Atlanta pulled level in the 30th minute. Loyd sent a ball into the area, and Charleston could not clear it. Kratz collected the loose ball near goal, settled it, and finished at the near post for his first Atlanta United goal.

The match stayed level for less than a minute. Dante Marini picked up the ball in midfield and struck from distance. The shot deflected off Robinson, changed direction, and left Kann without a chance to react. Charleston was back in front at 2-1.

Charleston had a chance to take real control before halftime. In the 43rd minute, the Battery won a penalty and Woodbine stepped to the spot. But he sent the attempt over the bar.

Atlanta went into halftime trailing 2-1. The Five Stripes had more of the ball, but Charleston had created the sharper moments. The Battery had scored twice, and Woodbine’s missed penalty kept Atlanta from facing a two-goal deficit.

2nd Half

Martino made two changes at halftime. Julian Gressel replaced Miles Robinson, and Mikey Ambrose replaced Zach Loyd after Loyd left with an unspecified injury. The substitutions also shifted Atlanta’s back line. Bloom moved across the defense, Larentowicz dropped deeper, and Atlanta came out of the break looking more settled than it had been in the first half.

Atlanta tied the match in the 48th minute. Vázquez sent a cross in from the right, and Martínez headed it past Odisnel Cooper to make it 2-2.

It was Martínez’s first goal since returning from the quad injury that had kept him out since March. Atlanta had needed one clean striker’s finish, and Martínez supplied it three minutes into the half.

After the equalizer, Atlanta pushed Charleston deeper. The Battery still had outlets on the counter and remained dangerous on set pieces, but the match was being played more often around Charleston’s box.

Martino made one more adjustment in the 60th minute. Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu replaced Anton Walkes, giving Atlanta a third debut on a night that had already included first appearances for Robinson and Loyd.

Charleston tried to change the game from its bench. Kotaro Higashi replaced Ricky Garbanzo in the 66th minute, and Nico Rittmeyer came on for Neveal Hackshaw four minutes later.

Atlanta went ahead in the 72nd minute. Almirón found Ambrose on the left, and Ambrose drove toward the end line. His low ball across goal reached Vázquez, who finished from close range. Vázquez had a hand in both second-half goals.

Charleston made its final change in the 77th minute, with Robbie Robinson replacing Woodbine. The Battery kept pushing for one more chance. In the 88th minute, Charleston put the ball in the net after crowding Kann near goal. The play was ruled out for goalkeeper interference, leaving Atlanta in front.

Atlanta kept the lead from there. The final whistle closed a 3-2 win, ended Charleston’s Open Cup run, and sent Atlanta United into the next round.

Closing Thoughts

The numbers showed Atlanta’s control. The match showed why that control never became comfort.

Atlanta United had 72 percent possession, completed 87 percent of its passes, and outshot Charleston 21-14. It still needed a second-half comeback, a missed Charleston penalty, and a late disallowed goal to get through its first Open Cup match.

Charleston made the night uncomfortable in simple ways. The Battery played directly, challenged Atlanta in the box, and turned limited possession into enough danger to keep the match alive. Atlanta controlled the ball, but it never fully controlled the game.

Atlanta’s defensive performance was the concern. Charleston found too many ways into dangerous areas, especially through direct service and pressure around the box. Atlanta advanced, but it did not defend like a team in control.

Atlanta’s response was the better part of the night. Martino’s halftime changes settled the team, and Ambrose gave Atlanta a direct option on the left before setting up the winner. Larentowicz also helped by moving deeper when the back line needed to be reshaped. Vázquez gave Atlanta its best individual performance. He assisted Martínez’s equalizer, scored the winner, and handled the biggest attacking moments of the second half. For an 18-year-old in a knockout match, it was a meaningful performance.

Martínez’s goal mattered beyond the score. Atlanta had missed his penalty-box finishing while he was out, and his header was the kind of chance the team needed him to finish.

Kratz gave Atlanta a first-half answer as well. His goal was his first for the club, and it came at a point when Charleston had put Atlanta under early pressure.

The performance left Atlanta with problems to correct, especially defensively. Atlanta still advanced, and that was the point of the night. In a difficult first Open Cup match, Kratz, Martínez, Ambrose, and Vázquez gave the Five Stripes enough to move on.