(all photos- Sofia Cupertino/@photosbysofia)
A crowd of just over 4,100 watched Atlanta United's first match under Ronny Deila as head coach against MLS NEXT PRO side Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium.
The first Starting XI for the year had Brad Guzan, Dominic Chong Qui, Luis Abram, Noah Cobb, Matt Edwards, Mateus Klich, Luke Brennan, Jamal, Xande Silva, Alexey Miranchuk, and Tristan Muyumba take the field.
For the first thirty minutes most of the activity was done by the Five Stripes in possession- in both halves of the pitch and three of the four on the backline were under the age of 21. Luke Brennan had some runs up the right that caused early problems for the CFC left but Atlanta couldn't capitalize.
CFC off-season priority resigning Markus Naglestad had one of the few first half chances for the home side in his thirty minutes of work. Before he was subbed off, Naglestad was played through inside the six but Brad Guzan was there for the save. A few minutes later, Miranchuk launched a shot from outside the 18 that got past starting CFC keeper Eldin Jakupović but hit the post. Brennan would return with a spin move in possession that would create a chance inside the 18, but the shot was blocked. The first 45 would end up goalless.
"Any time you play a real opponent, you're able to see things that maybe don't come out in training as much. A good exercise for sure," Guzan admits after his 45 minutes of work on Saturday.
When asked about the young backline in front of him, Guzan says that Chong Qui is "a young pro with a very raw ability to play the game. Going into this year, his understanding of the positions where he'll be utilized will be important. Today was a good step for him.
"Matty is similar to Dom- probably a few steps ahead of Dom in learning the game and the position and understanding situations that arise in the game. This season is a huge step forward. We know he's got the ability to defend and get forward but understanding the game and being tenacious and being hard to play against for an opposing winger is there. For Noah, it's a big year to kick on. He's been around the first team for quite some time now and has a handful of games first-team matches under his belt. It's his time to leave a lasting mark and say 'I want to be here and I want to be in the XI and I want to do this and be a guy that can be counted on.' "
Deila swapped out elevens for the second 45 as lineup would be Josh Cohen in net with Ronan Wynne (more on him later), Stian Gregersen, Efrain Morales, Ronald Hernandez, Bartosz Slisz, Jay Fortune, Saba, Will Reilly, Edwin Mosquera, and new signing Cayman Togashi.
With 15 minutes to go in the 90, Ronald Hernandez played a scoop over the backline of CFC and just missed a connection for a shot on target against CFC keeper Michael Barrueta (more on him in a bit). But in the 80th minute, Wynne would be the break through scorer finding an opening in traffic off a corner kick. The first selection of the 2025 SuperDraft for Atlanta from the University of Denver made it 1-0.
CFC's Jesus Ibarra, another late pre-season re-signing, got the equalizer three minutes later- even as he dribbled just shy of the goal line having beaten the Atlanta United defense for a few yards and one of more than a dozen trialists would get the eventual game-winning goal in the 87th minute. Edwin Mosquera had a chance for a game-tying goal north of 90 minutes on the clock, but Barrueta would go full-extension to give CFC the win, 2-1.
"I think it was an even game," Atlanta United head coach Ronny Deila said after the match. "I think we played better in the second half than the first half. I think the organization in the second half was pretty good. I think we had full control but then we give away an easy ball in behind on a set play, so that's disappointing. I'm always disappointed when we lose. Our application was good. But they tried and there's some things we can work on."
Deila was also pleased about the lack of chances Chattanooga was able to create over the full 90 minutes.
"I get irritated in my body that we lose. But I also understand that it's the first game. We're here to practice but we want to win at the same time and that's why we're really disappointed." Deila also admits that he's not worried right now about the allowing of such a quick equalizer after taking a 1-0 lead- knowing where he and the staff want the team and the on-field philosophy to go come the regular season.
For CFC, it's the first-ever win against an MLS side and a good jump start for the home team. But...
"It's still preseason, so it's important to stay grounded," said CFC Head Coach Chris Nugent after the match. "Had we lost today we wouldn't have felt it was the end of the world. After two weeks of training and then to beat a very good team is a good boost going into the remainder of the season. It's definitely a good starting point."
Next up for Atlanta United is a trip to Birmingham to take on USL Championship club Birmingham Legion next Saturday afternoon at Progressive Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:30 Eastern time.
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