We’re two games into the 2026 MLS season, and Atlanta United fans aren’t very optimistic about the team’s prospects.
Frankly, can you blame them? What looked at least like a decent performance fell apart in the final 10 minutes in a 2-0 loss at FC Cincinnati. Any signs of promise, though, went out the window during Matchday 2 in a 2-0 loss to the San Jose Earthquakes. (Or maybe it’s because the team came in second-from-last in the 2025 standings.)
Saturday sees Atlanta United kick off the home portion of their schedule, a stretch of games that sees them play the next four and five of the next six at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Hopefully that’s what they to flip the script and get this season back on the right track before it completely spirals out of control.
Here’s what you need to know about RSL before they step into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Matchday 3:
Get ready for Atlanta United vs. Real Salt Lake
Our midweek podcast with Evan Weston | YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify
Three Questions with The RSL Show
Scarves and Spikes Prematch Show | Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET on YouTube
The scoop on Real Salt Lake
Last result: W 2-1 vs. Seattle Sounders
As I mentioned in my 3 Questions with The RSL Show, this RSL team is young: the average age of their starting XI against the Sounders was 23.9. There was some concern for Pablo Mastroeni about just how a young group would be able to handle what should be a crowd over 65,000:
“(It’s) going to be spectacular for a lot of our young guys. They’ll have never played in an environment like this,” RSL’s head coach told ESPN 700 in Salt Lake City this week. “And so I think for us, it’s really important that we have some really good emotional control in the earlier stages and make sure that we’re a bit more pragmatic with the way we’re playing, knowing that they’re going to really throw the kitchen sink at us to try to get their fans involved.”
I’m keeping an eye on Zavier Gozo, who was ranked No. 10 in MLSSoccer.com’s annual 22 under 22 rankings in 2025 and is a mainstay in the United States U-20 setup.
We won’t see Diego Luna, who has a knee injury. We will see Morgan Guilavogui, a $5 million offseason signing from Lens in France, who made his debut against Seattle and should start on Saturday.
This will be the sixth meeting between Atlanta and RSL: Atlanta is 3-0-2 all-time. The last meeting was in 2024, a 5-2 Atlanta loss in Sandy.
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Atlanta United vs. Real Salt Lake injuries
Will Reilly (hamstring), and Jay Fortune (foot) remain out.
Atlanta United’s projected lineup against Real Salt Lake (4-3-3)
GK: Lucas Hoyos
D: Pedro Amador, Enea Mihaj, Juan Berrocal, Ronald Hernandéz
M: Steven Alzate, Alexey Miranchuk, Tomás Jacob
F: Miguel Almirón (C), Latte Lath, Saba Lobjanidze
Score prediction: Atlanta United 2-1 Real Salt Lake
All Atlanta United will need is some time at the Benz to end a slow start. Two goals — one in either half — will send them to their first victory of the season and inject at least a little hope into the fanbase.
2-1 sounds about right. The real question is whether we play like we did in the first match (pressing, moving, etc), or we revert to the pass it around ball of the past few years. I’m hoping for the former.
0-2 RSL
I like the optimism, but tbh I see 0-1 for the final.
I will be stunned if there are 60000 at this game
hopefully the line up is different tomorrow, at least Miranchuk being able to start from the beginning.