Atlanta United Ends 2026 in a Whimper

Starting Lineup

Atlanta United’s disappointing 2026 season came to an ugly end Saturday afternoon, falling 3-0 to the New York Red Bulls at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. Adri Mehmeti, Cade Cowell, and Jahkeele Marshall-Rutty scored as New York controlled most of the match, leaving Atlanta chasing the ball and struggling to create chances.

With Atlanta already eliminated from playoff contention, Tata Martino had an opportunity to give younger players and reserves meaningful playing time. Instead, he returned to his regular starting lineup, with Jayden Hibbert replacing Lucas Hoyos in goal. Those starters delivered another poor performance, offering little resistance as the Red Bulls dominated long stretches of the afternoon.

1st Half

The Red Bulls attacked from the opening whistle. Julian Hall forced Hibbert into an early save, and New York continued attacking down both wings. Báez struggled on the left, where Red Bulls players repeatedly moved around him and sent balls into the box.

Ruvalcaba forced another save from Hibbert. Atlanta struggled to get forward, and its first real attack ended when Embolo sent a pass too far ahead of Almirón.

Báez sent a through ball to Almirón, who broke behind the defense and went one-on-one with Ethan Horvath. Almirón beat the goalkeeper with his shot, but struck it off the left post. Almirón made another run down the left wing, but his cross sailed over everyone in the box. Atlanta was getting forward occasionally, but New York still had most of the ball.

The Red Bulls were moving through Atlanta’s midfield with little resistance. Muyumba stepped forward to challenge an attacker, only to be beaten as New York carried the ball straight past him. Atlanta was chasing ghosts, struggling to win back the ball.

Embolo got behind New York’s defense and passed left to Báez, whose laser of a shot was blocked. Jacob dribbled up the wing, but sent his cross straight into the legs of a Red Bulls defender.

New York then attacked down Atlanta’s left, with Báez caught out of position and Alonso trailing the play. They sent a cross to Ruvalcaba, who was open near the top of the box. His shot took a deflection and bounced just wide of the post.

The Red Bulls had a player open near the box. Amaro and Muyumba were nearby but couldn’t close him down. He sent a through ball into Atlanta’s box. Díaz slid from behind to try and clear it, but he knocked the ball hard off Hibbert. The ball bounced back into Mehmeti’s path. Mehmeti moved to his right and fired past Hibbert, who scrambled to recover. New York led 1-0.

The Red Bulls shot a low rocket, forcing Jacob into a sliding block. New York then worked the ball across to Padelford on the left. He shoots high and beats Hibbert, only to see it careen of the post.

Galoppo tried his luck from outside the box, sending his shot high into the stands. I’m not sure if it’s landed yet. New York counter and send a ball across the face of goal. Jacob, running towards the goalline, hits the ball with the outside of his right foot to knock it clear.

At halftime, Atlanta trailed 1-0. Embolo barely saw the ball. Miranchuk was practically invisible. Almirón’s shot off the post was Atlanta’s only real opportunity.

2nd Half

Atlanta returned for the second half with the same lineup.

Embolo sent the ball across the pitch from the left wing, where Jacob took a hard, low shot that went wide left. The Red Bulls soon had the ball back, passing around Atlanta’s half at will. Atlanta was again chasing ghosts.

Sekou Kone split Atlanta’s defense with a perfect through ball to Cowell, who ran into the box and reached the ball just inches in front of Hibbert. Hibbert moved to protect his near post, but Cowell cut back left, across Hibbert and towards goal. Hibbert couldn’t change direction quick enough. Jacob and Alonso came running in, but arrived too late. Cowell’s shot deflected off Jacob and into the net. New York led 2-0.

After the goal, the Red Bulls had little trouble keeping possession, passing the ball around Atlanta’s half almost at will.

Martino made his first sub in the 61st minute, replacing Muyumba with Cooper Sanchez.

For the next ten minutes, Atlanta started taking control of midfield. Sanchez hadn’t done anything particularly noticeable to bring that about, but there was a definite shift in momentum.

Miranchuk played the ball wide to Jacob, who sent a cross too close to Horvath. Almirón pounced, trying to take the ball away from the goalkeeper. The two scrambled for possession before Almirón was called off.

Miranchuk later charged towards the box and dribbled past a defender, but couldn’t keep full control of the ball. He took too long to get his shot away, allowing a Red Bulls defender to strip him of possession.

Atlanta sent a long ball over New York’s defense, with Embolo and Julian Bazan racing after it. Bazan brought Embolo down and received a yellow.

New York later played a magnificent through ball to Mosquera, who looked well offside on live viewing. But Mosquera timed his run perfectly. Hibbert rushed off his line to challenge. Mosquera cut left, and Hibbert completely missed, leaving Mosquera free to carry the ball towards the end line. With defenders closing, he fired from a tight angle, but his shot struck the post.

Martino brought on Jay Fortune and Matt Edwards for Galoppo and Báez.

Sanchez was getting increasingly physical, committing several fouls as New York attacked. Referee Pierre-Luc Lauzière warned him to calm down after a challenge.

Hall then cut back towards the middle near the edge of Atlanta’s box, where Sanchez cleaned him out. He was fortunate to avoid a card, but New York earned a free kick in a dangerous position. Marshall-Rutty struck a wonderful free kick over Atlanta’s wall and into the upper-right corner. Hibbert had no chance. New York led 3-0.

Fortune tried his luck from distance, sending his shot over the crossbar. New York then played another through ball behind Atlanta’s defense. Díaz simply couldn’t keep up with Hall, who ended up firing wide of the right post.

Martino replaced Embolo and Almirón with Sérgio Santos and Luke Brennan in the 86th minute. Embolo looked frustrated as he came off. With only a few minutes remaining, Santos and Brennan had little time to make an impact.

Amaro tried to take a quick free kick, but made contact with a teammate as he swung his leg. The resulting weak kick went nowhere, giving Ref Pierre-Luc Lauzière an excuse to blow the final whistle.

Closing Thoughts

Atlanta’s individual performances are covered here.

Player Impressions: ATLUTD 0-3 Red Bulls

In a dead rubber match, the starters struggled, the attack was ineffective, and Martino gave his reserves little opportunity to contribute.

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Atlanta finished the match with 10 shots, only one on target, and an xG of .93. New York produced 15 shots, six on target, and 3.44 xG. The Red Bulls repeatedly found space around Atlanta’s midfield and defense, and the score could easily have been worse. New York’s young players were quicker to the ball, more decisive in possession, and far more dangerous in attack. Michael Bradley’s team moved the ball comfortably through Atlanta’s midfield, with Kone and Mehmeti helping control play while Cowell and Ruvalcaba threatened the defensive line.

Atlanta’s midfield was particularly disappointing. Muyumba struggled to win challenges, Galoppo couldn’t control possession, and Amaro worked hard but was frequently pulled out of position. Miranchuk was practically invisible in the first half and offered little creativity in the second. Almirón’s mis-hit off the post was Atlanta’s best chance. He otherwise struggled to get involved. Embolo rarely saw the ball, with little service coming from midfield. Díaz made a few good clearances, but his lack of pace was exposed again. Báez struggled defensively after several strong performances recent matches.

Martino’s lineup decisions were equally frustrating. He had a chance to play the second or third string players, or even make call ups from ATLUTD2. Instead, he played mostly the usual starters. And those starters let him down again. And yet even as New York controlled the match, he showed little urgency to make changes. His substitutions came late, giving Brennan and Santos only a few minutes to play. Martino, and Atlanta United, gained little from sticking with a lineup that was clearly struggling.

Assistant coach Rodrigo Ríos, speaking after the match, acknowledged that Atlanta couldn’t keep up with New York once the Red Bulls took control.

Atlanta has heard similar explanations throughout the season. The players have struggled to finish chances, defend consistently, and maintain control of matches. Martino and his staff have repeatedly identified those problems, but have done little to resolve them.

Rios acknowledged that Atlanta still needs to find consistency heading into next season.

Atlanta finished the 2026 season with a 9-19-6 record and 33 points. Another offseason of roster decisions awaits, but changing players alone won’t resolve everything. Martino has spent ten months working with this team, and Atlanta still struggles with many of the same problems it faced at the beginning of the year.