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Paced by Nick Firmino's brace, Atlanta United won 3-0 over the Charlotte Independence to advance to the Round of 16 in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. Daniel Rios also scored for Atlanta, who outshot Charlotte 22-7 on the night.
Atlanta controlled possession and outshot Charlotte by a wide margin in the first half, but both teams entered the locker room knotted together at 0-0. Early in the second half, Luke Brennan and Matthew Edwards combined down the right side and Edwards' cross found Firmino inside the 18, he finished low to the corner beating Alpharetta native Austin Pack. Firmino added his second in the 71st minute on a cutback cross from Caleb Wiley, who entered the match as a second half substitute on the left wing. Daniel Rios finished the scoring in the 85th minute on a cross from Xande Silva, another second half substitute.
Matthew Edwards, Ashton Gordon, and Adyn Torres made their debuts with the first team in official competition last night as academy products while Josh Cohen made his first official appearance for the club after playing twice with Atlanta United 2 in recent weeks.
The only downer on the night was Stian Gregersen leaving the match early in the first half after suffering symptoms of a concussion. He was replaced by Noah Cobb and his status will likely be updated when Gonzalo Pineda speaks to the media on Thursday.
Atlanta United will face the winner of Wednesday's match between the Charleston Battery and South Georgia Tormenta. The winner of that match will host the Five Stripes in the Round of 16 on either May 21 or 22.
(photos: Sofia Cupertino)