A Historic Season, a Frustrating Finish for Atlanta United 2

Starting Lineup

Friday night was a historic occasion for both Atlanta United 2 and Connecticut United FC. For the first time in either club’s history, they were competing in the MLS NEXT Pro playoffs. Atlanta had finally broken through after narrowly missing out in previous seasons, while Connecticut’s Coywolves have reached the postseason in their inaugural year. The two teams met at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta, with a place in the Eastern Conference semifinals on the line.

Daniel Chica, a regular presence in the defense, was unavailable after suffering a torn ACL during his first-team debut against New York City FC. Head coach Jose Silva also made two changes to the starting lineup from the regular-season finale against Orlando City B. Jayden Hibbert replaced Jonathan Ransom in goal, while Adrian Gill took DD Sibrian’s place in midfield. Gill had not appeared for Atlanta United 2 since August 8. Making changes like these for the biggest match of the season seemed an unnecessary gamble. The team had developed its rhythm over the closing weeks of the regular season, and disrupting that familiarity in a single-elimination playoff match carried risks.

There was also the matter of Atlanta’s extended layoff. The team had not played since September 20, nearly four weeks earlier. Atlanta had been playing some of its best soccer heading into the break, building momentum toward its first playoff appearance. That momentum was interrupted, and it was difficult to imagine the extended time away from competitive matches would not affect the team’s physical sharpness and mindset.

For all the preparation, excitement, and anticipation surrounding Atlanta United 2’s first playoff appearance, it took Connecticut just five minutes to take the lead. Atlanta never found an answer, and their historic season ended with a 1-0 defeat in the opening round.

1st Half

Atlanta’s defensive line had been rearranged without Daniel Chica. Senanou shifted to the right, Cisset moved into the middle, and Majub started on the left. Connecticut came out aggressively looking to overload Atlanta. And they capitalized just five minutes into the match.

Bryan Destin chased a long ball toward the right corner flag and sent a bouncing cross into Atlanta’s penalty box, behind the defensive line. Atlanta’s center backs appeared to lose track of their marks, leaving Alex Monis in position to receive the cross. Monis couldn’t make contact, and Adrian Gill attempted to clear the ball with his heel. Rather than sending it away from danger, his clearance went backward into the path of Barnabás Tanyi. With no defender close enough to challenge him, Tanyi had the time and space to put his shot past Jayden Hibbert.

Connecticut nearly doubled their lead when Dylan Lacy found Andre Applewhaite outside the box. Applewhaite fired a left-footed shot toward goal, but Hibbert made the save.

Dunbar moved the ball up the right. He found Dominik Chong Qui, who tried to cut the ball back into the box. A Connecticut defender got in the way, deflecting the ball out for a corner. Connecticut cleared Dunbar’s corner only to Toto Majub outside the box. He took a shot that was blocked, giving Atlanta another corner. This time, Mohamed Cisset managed to get his head to the ball, but couldn’t direct it toward goal. Shortly afterward, Kovac had a left-footed shot from inside the box blocked by Steven Sserwadda.

Gill lifted a long pass over Connecticut’s backline toward Enzo Dovlo, who raced down the right and into the box. Dovlo had only the keeper in front of him, with Arif Kovac arriving at the far post. Rather than passing across goal to Kovac, Dovlo kept the ball and waited for Rankenburg to commit. He then fired a left-footed shot toward the near post, but the ball struck the upright and bounced straight back to him. Dovlo tried again, this time shooting across the goal. His second effort struck the opposite post. Chong Qui got the loose ball and took a blocked shot. Dunbar followed with another attempt that Gómez blocked.

Jardines lifted the ball forward to Chong Qui, who controlled it with a good first touch and found Dunbar near the top of the box. Dunbar took a touch that carried him back outside the 18, where Sserwadda brought him down. Suarez-Couri immediately ran toward referee Jaclyn Metz, arguing that the contact had occurred inside the area. The referee disagreed and awarded Atlanta a free kick. Chong Qui, Dunbar, and Jardines gathered around the ball to discuss the free kick. Chong Qui initially stood over it, but Dunbar stepped up and sent a right-footed shot toward goal. Rankenburg made the save, but Kovac collected the loose ball and laid it off to Suarez-Couri. His left-footed shot sailed over the crossbar, drawing a disappointed reaction from Dunbar.

Late in the half, Jardines pushed the ball forward down the left and sent it into the final third, but Rickson van Hees got there first and cleared.

Atlanta trailed at the half, 1-0.

2nd Half

The second half opened with a collision between Adrian Gill and Ernesto Gómez when both players challenged for the ball. Gómez went to ground, catching Gill. Adrian remained down briefly before his teammates helped him back to his feet.

Connecticut kept finding space to move forward, while Atlanta pushed into the Coywolves’ half looking for an equalizer. Both sides managed shots, but neither could find the back of the net. The match was settling into a cagey affair, and Atlanta needed to change something. Silva made his first sub in the 58th, bringing Santiago Pita on for Ignacio Suarez-Couri.

Pita was quickly involved, playing a ball through to Dovlo on the right. Dovlo reached the end line and sent a cross into the box, but Connecticut headed it away. Applewhaite whiffed a clearance and immediately went down clutching his left leg. The referee allowed play to continue, and Atlanta kept possession. Jardines found Pita, who looked for Dunbar, but the ball eventually reached Toto Majub outside the box. Majub fired a shot that was deflected out for a corner. Applewhaite was able to walk off for treatment.

Atlanta took consecutive corners, Connecticut cleared both. The Coywolves then broke forward, with Tanyi receiving the ball on the left of the box. He went for the near corner but sent his shot wide.

Rickson van Hees sent a cross into Atlanta’s box, Tanyi rose and got his head to it. His effort went straight to Hibbert. Atlanta then sent a long ball toward Connecticut’s box. Van Hees got the first touch, but a miscommunication with Rankenburg left the goalkeeper stranded near the edge of the 18. Rankenburg managed to recover, going to ground to knock the ball away before Atlanta could capitalize.

In the 77th minute, Silva brought on Seyi Fakiyesi for Toto Majub.

Pita sent a long ball behind Connecticut’s defense for Dunbar, who ran onto it down the left. Dunbar passed into the box toward Chong Qui, who went down following a challenge. Chong Qui appealed for a penalty, but referee Jaclyn Metz waved her finger, indicating she saw nothing wrong with the challenge, and allowed play to continue.

Atlanta came forward again, but Dunbar’s pass toward Pita was intercepted. Connecticut broke forward, with Neo Che pushing the ball past Senanou. The Atlanta captain tried to sweep the ball away but brought Che down instead, earning a yellow. Lacy took the free kick from a sharp angle and sent his shot just wide of the upper corner.

Silva replaced Adrian Gill with Joshua Kwon in the 83rd minute. Fakiyesi and Pita tried to combine on the left, with Fakiyesi managing to keep the ball under pressure and pass to Chong Qui. Their attempt to work the ball through Connecticut’s defense broke down. Atlanta regained possession and moved the ball through Chong Qui, Dunbar, and Jardines. Jardines passed to Kwon, who returned the ball to Dunbar. Dunbar lifted a cross toward the far post, but nobody was there to meet it.

Paixão raced behind Atlanta’s defense and sent the ball across the face of goal. Hibbert stretched to knock it away, but the ball fell to Lacy. He took a shot, but Kwon was there for the block.

As the match entered stoppage, Chong Qui waved his teammates forward, urging more players into the attack.

Moments later, Paixão appeared to make contact with Chong Qui’s head using his hand near the top of the box. Atlanta’s bench erupted when the referee declined to call a foul. Silva protested from the sideline, while Senanou ran up to referee Metz. MLS NEXT Pro does not use VAR. To their credit, Metz and her AR consulted before deciding not to award a foul. Play eventually resumed.

Dunbar sent a ball across the penalty area, but Connecticut cleared it only as far as Kwon. Kwon took a crack, but Agostoni was there to block.

Later in stoppage time, Fakiyesi worked his way to the end line and sent a high cross toward the far post. Pita was open and jumped for the header, but sent his effort over. Kovac immediately ran over to Pita, appearing to encourage him after the miss. Class move.

Dunbar continued trying to get past Rickson van Hees down the left. The two had been exchanging words as the match wore on, with neither backing down. Dunbar eventually sent another cross into the box, but Connecticut headed it away. Dovlo recovered the ball, and Atlanta worked it to Pita, who was dispossessed.

Agostoni collected the ball and tried to move forward, but Cisset lunged into a studs-up tackle and brought him down. Cisset was probably lucky to only receive the yellow. Lacy confronted Cisset over the challenge, the two exchanging words.

Chong Qui launched a long throw-in toward Connecticut’s box. The ball fell to Jardines, who lifted another cross into the area. Connecticut cleared it only to Dovlo outside the box. He took one final shot wide of the right post, and the referee blew the final whistle.

Atlanta United 2’s first playoff appearance had ended in a 1-0 defeat.

Closing Thoughts

Atlanta United 2 had the most potent attack in MLS NEXT Pro, but the Coywolves managed to shut it down completely.

Atlanta United 2 finished with 18 shots, but only two on target. Connecticut blocked eight attempts, and Atlanta completed just one of its 14 crosses. The Five Stripes had plenty of possession and opportunities to attack, but struggled to get the ball through Connecticut’s defense. When Atlanta did create a clear opportunity, the finishing wasn’t there. Connecticut deserves credit for its defensive organization, but Atlanta also made things easier for the Coywolves with some poor decisions in the final third.

There’s some irony in how this ended. Atlanta defeated Connecticut 4-1 in September and then selected the seventh-seeded Coywolves as its first-round playoff opponent. Connecticut came prepared, took advantage of Atlanta’s early defensive mistake, and protected its lead for the rest of the match. Shavar Thomas and his players deserve credit for executing their game plan, particularly against a team that had dominated them just a month earlier.

The disappointing result shouldn’t overshadow what Atlanta United 2 accomplished this season. The club set records for wins, points, goals, and assists. Arif Kovac finished the regular season with 20 goals, tying the MLS NEXT Pro single-season record, while Cameron Dunbar’s 13 assists tied another league record. Under Jose Silva, Atlanta finally reached the playoffs after years of falling short. There was plenty to celebrate, and the players deserved the opportunity to see how far they could go.

What makes this loss particularly frustrating is how little Atlanta looked like the team that finished the regular season. The long layoff did them no favors, and Silva’s decision to change the starting lineup for such an important match remains questionable. For a team that worked so hard to reach the playoffs, this was a bitter way to go out. They earned the third seed, chose their opponent, and had the advantage of playing at home. Connecticut came in as the seventh seed, scored after five minutes, and moved on.

Atlanta’s players will have plenty to be proud of when they look back on 2026, but this is an opportunity they’ll wish they had handled differently.