Anyone expecting an action-packed, goal-filled affair between Atlanta United and Toronto FC on Sunday came away, well, very disappointed. It went about as well as you’d expect a match between two teams outside the playoff race as the two teams combined for *checks notes* three shots on goal.
Atlanta’s shot on target was a weak chipped attempt by Miguel Almiron that didn’t remotely test Sean Johnson and…that tells you pretty much all you need to know about this one.
Let’s get to the player ratings – first mine, then an average of everyone that voted . As a reminder, here’s the ratings scale:
- 10 – world-class performance
- 9 – elite performance
- 6 – average
- 5 – slightly below average
- 3 – well below average
- 1 – poor in every level
Help support independent Atlanta soccer coverage
Every week, Scarves and Spikes brings you original interviews, on-site coverage, live shows/podcasts, and the analysis you won’t find at the bigger national outlets. With 2026 being a World Cup year, Atlanta United facing yet another important transfer window, the U.S. Soccer National Training Center setting up shop in the Atlanta area, and NWSL Atlanta kicking off in 2028, your support helps us do even more.
What you get on Patreon:
- Atlanta United training ground updates
- Exclusive interviews, like our recent sit-down with ATL UTD 2 head coach Jose Silva
- Discord access, talk Atlanta soccer with the SnS team and other supporters
- Patreon-only mailbags
- Grey Gowder’s analytical deep-dives on roster construction, the academy, ATL UTD 2, and more
Membership starts at $5/month. New subscribers get a 7-day free trial.
Man of the Match
Jayden Hibbert
Staff rating: 6.5 | Community rating: 7.05
It was a low-risk appearance for Hibbert, making just two saves on the afternoon. The only save that presented anything resembling an issue for him came in the second half, but he gathered it well.
We’ve said it a few times on the podcast, but why not just let Hibbert start Atlanta’s remaining matches and give him a bit of an extended audition for what should be an open job at GK1 in 2026? Then Brad Guzan can get the sendoff he deserves on Decision Day.
Pedro Amador
Staff rating: 5.5 | Community rating: 5.22
Good to see Pedro Amador back out on the pitch. He’s still not the attacking player he was in 2024, but was good defensively in the hour that he was out there.
Enea Mihaj
Staff rating: 6.25 | Community rating: 5.7
Can’t really find much fault with Mihaj after a match of this type. He ended the day with 8 defensive contributions and helped keep an already tame TFC attack relatively quiet. He was also 6-of-8 on long balls, a part of his game that’s stood out.
Stian Gregersen
Staff rating: 6.25 | Community rating: 6
Like Mihaj, you can’t really find much fault with Gregersen after a 0-0 draw: he led the team with 9 defensive contributions and 6 clearances. He and Mihaj have formed a strong center-back pairing during their short time together.
Ronald Hernandez
Staff rating: 6 | Community rating: 5.2
Hernandez continues to quietly have a string of good performances for Atlanta United at right back. He’s not the same player as an in-form Pedro Amador, but he really doesn’t have to be.
Bartosz Slisz
Staff rating: 6.5 | Community rating: 5.56
Slisz finished the afternoon by completing 93 percent of his passes (56 of 60) and was second on the team in passes into the final third (7). It’s tough to point to the last outright stinker Bartek has had in the midfield.
Tristan Muyumba
Staff rating: 5 | Community rating: 4.22
The midfield simply isn’t to its full potential when Muyumba is on the pitch. He only contributed a pair of balls into Atlanta’s final third and lost all four of his duels. It’s past time for Steven Alzate to be getting more minutes here.
Alexey Miranchuk
Staff rating: 4.5 | Community rating: 5.44
Miranchuk has been Atlanta’s in-form player, but he had next to no impact on this match from an attacking standpoint outside of spell here and there. He had space to put one on frame in the 17th minute but ultimately sprayed it wide of the cage, needing to do far better than he did.
Saba Lobjanidze
Staff rating: 4.5 | Community rating: 4.92
This has been just a long, disappointing season from Lobjanidze. He did do well to find Miranchuk in space for an Atlanta scoring chance in the 17th, but had a quiet day nonetheless.
Luke Brennan
Staff rating: 5.5 | Community rating: 5.7
Brennan played a full match for the first time at the MLS level and for the third time in the last six matches for Atlanta across all competitions. He can be a really good winger in this league as soon as he has the final product down.
Miguel Almiron
Staff rating: 4.5 | Community rating: 4.56
Latte Lath wasn’t available, so Ronny Deila opted to put Almiron in as striker. Let’s…forget that even happened on Sunday.
Substitutes
Steven Alzate (61′)
Staff rating: 5.5 | Community rating: 4.79
Funny how much better the midfield looks when Alzate is on the pitch, isn’t it?
Brooks Lennon (61′)
Staff rating: 5 | Community rating: 3.79
I really don’t think Lennon deserved below a 4 for his performance. That’s not to say he was incredible, but he had a decent spell off the bench.
Jamal Thiare (61′)
Staff rating: 5.5 | Community rating: 4.26
Thiare had a few touches in the attack, but didn’t really make an impact on this one — good or bad.
Juan Berrocal (86′)
Staff rating: 5.5 | Community rating: 4.47
Wasn’t in long enough to make a big impact, but finished the match with a clearance and a handful of touches.
Cayman Togashi (86′)
Staff rating: N/A | Community rating: 4.69
Like Berrocal, wasn’t in long enough to make an impact, but found himself on the end of a promising ball into the box that was ultimately called back on a foul.
Overall, I felt the staff ratings were 0.5 to 1.0 too high. As noted in another article on this site, the match was boring and difficult to watch – and that is a direct reflection on player performance (or more accurately the lack thereof). We need for the new players to be on the field at the start of the match (don’t know why they are not yet fit to start), and let Hibbert start in goal (until the Decision Day match to allow Guzan to go out with a bang).