Final Whistle: Cooper Sanchez, Alexey Miranchuk Send Atlanta United to Open Cup Quarterfinals

Atlanta United came to suburban Charlotte with something to prove two days after a road win in Toronto. Charlotte FC had the same opportunity but made a different choice, rolling out a heavily rotated lineup and hoping depth would be enough. It was not.

Atlanta United's starting eleven in Charlotte. (photo: ATLUTD)

Jayden Hibbert started in goal, backed by a back four of Elías Báez, Juan Berrocal, Enea Mihaj, and Tomás Jacob. The midfield trio was Matías Galarza, Jay Fortune, and Will Reilly. Up top, Fafa Picault and Luke Brennan flanked Alexey Miranchuk.

Charlotte put Tyler Miller in net, with a back four of David Schnegg, Andrew Privett, Morrison Agyemang, and Jack Neeley. Luca de la Torre, Djibril Diani, and Aron John held the midfield. Liel Abada, Tyger Smalls, and Archie Goodwin led the attack.

Atlanta controlled pace from the opening minutes and generated four shots before Charlotte had one. Will Reilly tested Miller early. Luke Brennan drove the right channel to force a corner, and a Miranchuk chip from the resulting sequence was comfortable for the keeper. A Miranchuk free kick in the 17th minute just missed Brennan at the back post.

Miranchuk opened the scoring for Atlanta in the 22nd minute. (photo: ATLUTD)

The opener came in the 22nd minute. Brennan and Fortune worked the ball to Miranchuk just off the arc. Miranchuk chipped through traffic, the ball deflected off a defender's leg, picked up topspin, and floated past the far post. Brennan was involved again minutes later, but his cross found Matías Galarza's diving header and the effort went over the bar. Atlanta created another chance in the 38th minute when Miranchuk whipped a cross to Mihaj, whose header from seven yards out cleared the crossbar with the score still 1-0 at the half.

Atlanta came out strong after the break. Elías Báez had a good look in the 52nd minute after Mihaj played a long diagonal into his path, but his near-post effort was saved by Miller. The shots were 8-1 for Atlanta at the half, with two big chances to Charlotte's none, and the Five Stripes had won 20 of 29 first-half duels.

Cooper Sanchez pressed the issue and took advantage of a Charlotte turnover to score his first goal. (photo: ATLUTD)

Charlotte pressed more in the second half but could not create genuine chances. Both benches made changes around the 63rd and 70th minutes, and Atlanta extended the lead at the 71st. Ronald Hernández played a long ball forward. Cooper Sanchez chased it, forced a collision between Miller and Andrew Privett, gathered the loose ball inside the six, and slotted home his first career goal for the club.

Tomás Jacob made a notable defensive contribution late, standing up Idan Toklomati on a drive into the Atlanta box. Four minutes of added time included a Kerwin Vargas yellow for a headbutt on Hernández. Cooper Sanchez and Luke Brennan also picked up late cautions.

Atlanta led in shots (10-8) and shots on target (4-2). Charlotte held 55-45 possession but managed only two saves from Hibbert on the night. Will Reilly wore the captain's armband after Miranchuk came off. Jay Fortune reached 75 appearances in all competitions on the night, becoming just the second Homegrown player in club history to hit that mark, joining Caleb Wiley.

The US Open Cup quarterfinal draw is Thursday at 9 a.m. ET on CBS Sports Golazo Network's Morning Footy, with Atlanta's next match scheduled for May 19 or 20. CF Montréal comes to Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday for MLS play, 7:30 p.m. ET on Apple TV and 92.9 The Game.