Atlanta United defeat the Union 3-1

Atlanta United earned its first result of the 2026 season Saturday afternoon at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, defeating the Philadelphia Union 3–1.

Emmanuel Latte Lath scored his first goal of the year, Tomás Jacob added his first career MLS goal, and Miguel Almirón recorded three assists. The captain’s third assist moved him to 38th in MLS regular season play, the most in club history.

Both teams entered the afternoon still looking for goals. Atlanta had scored only twice through its first three matches of the season, while Philadelphia had yet to score from open play.

Philadelphia controlled more of the ball and spent long stretches pushing play into Atlanta’s half through second balls, wide service, and direct pressure. Atlanta proved sharper in the moments that mattered. Opta credited Philadelphia with 58.3 percent possession and 14 shots, but Atlanta finished with the better scoreline and the higher expected goals total at 2.79 to 2.13.

The 1st 45’

The crowd was quiet through the opening minutes as both teams tried to settle. Atlanta began the afternoon looking to control possession, but the start was uneven. Miguel Almirón produced the first promising movement of the match in the opening minute, carrying the ball across the pitch before laying it off to Stian Gregersen. The sequence ended quickly when Atlanta lost possession, an early example of the loose passing that would appear several times in the half.

The early moments also carried a few warning signs. Almirón took a couple of knocks and did not appear to be moving freely, and on one early play Lucas Hoyos had to rush off his line and was nearly beaten to the ball.

Much of the early play developed along Atlanta’s right side. Both teams pushed numbers into that channel, leaving the opposite flank largely unused. Atlanta appeared content to slow the tempo and avoid forcing play through midfield, while Philadelphia began trying to establish control in the center of the pitch.

The first real Atlanta chance came in the 15th minute. A long ball released Tomás Jacob down the right. He drove forward and delivered a cross that found Emmanuel Latte Lath in a clean position inside the box. The striker missed the chance, a moment that should have opened the scoring.

A VAR review halted play in the 16th minute when officials examined a possible penalty involving Gregersen. From the run of play it was not immediately clear what the foul might have been. After nearly two full minutes reviewing a shirt tug, the referee confirmed there was no penalty - the correct decision.

Atlanta struggled to string passes together through much of the first half, and Philadelphia began controlling more of the midfield. Galarza attempted several long through balls during this stretch that showed the right idea but did not connect.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 28th minute. Almirón threaded a through ball behind Philadelphia’s defense and Latte Lath finished past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. His teammates immediately surrounded him in celebration. The relief on his face was obvious - he needed that one. Even after Atlanta took the lead and the initial celebration faded, Mercedes-Benz Stadium grew surprisingly quiet again.

Atlanta began to find slightly better connections through midfield as Almirón and Galarza combined more frequently, and the team started building attacking triangles that led to a run of corners. Jacob remained heavily involved on the right flank, including a header that drifted just wide after a short corner routine.

The match grew increasingly chippy late in the half. Tomás Jacob made a long recovery run to block a Philadelphia shot, but moments later the Ref pointed to the spot. Báez lost his mark inside the box and shoved a Philadelphia player in the back of the head.

Iloski stepped forward to take it for Philadelphia, but his shot struck the post and bounced away, allowing Atlanta to preserve the lead. The moment sparked reactions on both benches. Tata Martino received a yellow card for dissent, another card was shown to Jorge Theiler on the Atlanta bench, and Martino exchanged words with members of Philadelphia’s staff as the half wound down.

Philadelphia pushed a very high defensive line in the closing minutes, while both teams increasingly resorted to longer balls forward as the tension around the match continued to rise. Atlanta reached halftime with a 1-0 advantage despite Philadelphia holding more possession.

Tata, on the biggest difference between today and the previous matches:

The pattern of involvement reflected what the eye test suggested. Almirón was central to nearly every dangerous Atlanta movement, while Jacob and Sanchez repeatedly drove play down the right side.

The 2nd 45’

Atlanta could not have drawn up a better start. Within two minutes of the restart, Matías Galarza and Miguel Almirón played off each other to move the ball quickly up the pitch before Almirón sent a cross toward the far post. Tomás Jacob arrived to finish and double Atlanta’s lead. It was his first MLS goal, with Almirón and Galarza credited with the assists.

At 2-0, though, the match still did not feel safe. Philadelphia kept coming the same way it had for most of the afternoon - direct balls forward, quick service into the box, and pressure around second phases. Atlanta often found itself defending one delivery, then the next ball into the area, then the next phase after that.

There was a stretch around the hour where a Philadelphia goal looked more likely than Atlanta’s third. Báez and Tristan Muyumba each had giveaways that brought the game back toward Hoyos, and the Union repeatedly worked the ball into the box. The stadium had grown unusually quiet. Philadelphia continued sending balls into the area, including a long throw that Gregersen cleared awkwardly while tangled with a Union attacker. Atlanta had a substitution preparing as the match drifted toward the middle of the half.

However, Atlanta answered that stretch of pressure with its sharpest attacking move of the afternoon. The break that led to the third goal was typical of a Tata Martino counter - quick combinations, immediate forward movement, and the attack reaching the box in only a few passes.

The third Atlanta goal in the 68th minute began in Atlanta’s half and moved quickly through the team’s three designated players. Almirón started the move forward before finding Latte Lath, who returned the ball into space. Almirón slipped Miranchuk into the box and the Russian finished calmly into the far corner.

Martino pointed to that sequence afterward as an example of how the three DPs worked together.

That third goal changed the feel of the match more than the second one had. Philadelphia continued pushing numbers forward, but Atlanta finally had a margin that matched the danger of the spaces behind the Union’s high line.

Philadelphia still found a goal in the 87th minute when Agustín Anello finished inside the box. A clean sheet never quite matched how the afternoon had played out.

Defender Enea Mihaj said afterward that Atlanta had prepared specifically for Philadelphia’s direct approach, focusing on long balls, second phases, and defensive organization. His description matched the flow of the game.

The involvement pattern in the second half reflected that pressure. Atlanta’s attack flowed largely through Latte Lath and Almirón, while Hoyos became increasingly active as Philadelphia pushed numbers forward.

Player Impressions

• Miguel Almirón - The central figure in the match. The three assists tell most of the story, but not all of it. Whenever he found space to carry the ball forward, Philadelphia struggled to contain the moment around him. His movement across the attacking line repeatedly opened the runs that led to Atlanta’s goals.

• Tomás Jacob - One of Atlanta’s best players both before the goals and after them. He kept appearing on the right side, recovered defensively when needed, and capped the performance with his first MLS goal. His willingness to push forward while still tracking back gave Atlanta balance on that side.

• Emmanuel Latte Lath - An important afternoon despite a few early misses. He kept making the run behind Philadelphia’s high line and never stopped testing the space. The goal in the first half was the reward for that persistence, and he later helped start the move that led to Miranchuk’s finish.

• Matías Galarza - A useful first start. Some early passes did not come off, but the ideas were clear. His understanding with Almirón improved as the match developed, particularly on the left side where Atlanta began to connect more consistently.

• Cooper Sanchez - A mature performance from the 17-year-old. The match repeatedly demanded physical responses, and he handled them calmly. Sanchez covered wide areas, stepped forward when needed, and never looked overwhelmed by the pace of the game. He did come close to a yellow near the end of the first half, something that is starting to become a pattern.

• Alexey Miranchuk - Not always involved in long stretches, but sharp in the decisive moments. His movement between the lines improved as the match progressed, and the finish on the third goal showed the composure Atlanta expects from him in those situations.

• Elías Báez - A mixed afternoon again. He helped start the opening goal and now has assists in consecutive matches. But the penalty he conceded - shoving a Philadelphia player in the head inside the box - was the moment that could easily have changed the match.

• Enea Mihaj - Philadelphia’s direct play forced Atlanta’s center backs into a reactive afternoon. Mihaj handled most of those moments calmly, stepping in to deal with crosses and second balls without much drama.

• Stian Gregersen - A more uneven afternoon. Gregersen had a few uncomfortable moments on the ball and picked up a yellow during the defensive pressure. He also absorbed another round of physical knocks, including a heavy head-to-head collision late in the match. This continues a pattern where the Norwegian defender seems to attract injuries.

• Lucas Hoyos - Involved in several tense sequences around the box. Some interventions were clean. Others were less convincing. The overall performance matched the unsettled defensive stretches in front of him.

Takeaways

Atlanta did not control large portions of this match. Philadelphia had more possession, spent longer stretches pushing play into Atlanta’s half, and repeatedly forced the game into second balls and service into the box. For much of the afternoon Atlanta was reacting to those phases rather than dictating them.

What changed from the earlier losses was how those moments affected the team’s composure. The mistakes were still present. Báez conceded a penalty. Possession occasionally broke down in buildup. The defensive line spent long stretches dealing with second phases rather than settling the game. But those moments never became the defining events of the afternoon. Instead, Atlanta’s cleaner attacking sequences ultimately carried more weight.

The right side of the field played an important role in that shift. Jacob and Sanchez were active early, and Almirón repeatedly found space moving through that channel. As the match opened up, Atlanta began finding more consistent combinations through midfield, particularly between Almirón and Galarza.

The attacking group also looked more connected than it had through the opening weeks of the season. Latte Lath’s goal provided the kind of striker finish Atlanta had been missing, while the third goal illustrated the type of quick combination play the team is trying to build around its attacking core.

None of that removes the concerns that still appeared during the match. Philadelphia created pressure too easily for stretches of both halves, and Atlanta’s buildup remains vulnerable to turnovers when the tempo rises.

For the first time this season, the pieces looked like they were beginning to fit together.