Another weekend, another chance to see Atlanta United respond after a… win?
That’s right! The Five Stripes find themselves in a rare position this time as they head into a match on the back of the club’s first home victory in 290 days, finally picking up the first points of the season and bringing to an end a winless run that dated all the way back to May of 2025. Truly, a surreal feeling.
That feeling won’t mean much, though, without more results to back it up. Even more importantly, picking up results at home will be crucial to any successes Atlanta will see in 2026. Tonight, we’ll see if the good signs from last week’s 3-1 win over Philadelphia can stick around as the Five Stripes host a third of four consecutive home matches, this time against D.C. United (with no Wooden Spoons in sight).
A new lineup featuring Stian Gregersen and Matias Galarza, standout performances from all three of Atlanta’s Designated Players, and a breakout game for both Tomás Jacob and Cooper Sanchez all shone through for Atlanta last weekend in a performance that seems to have pointed the team in the right direction moving forward. Juan Berrocal remains questionable with a hamstring injury picked up last week, so a repeat lineup from Tata Martino could very likely be in the cards. Will that bring about a repeat result?
Meanwhile, Jay Fortune continues to work his way back to his highly anticipated first team re-debut, and will go another match for the 2s this weekend up in Charlotte. Will Reilly remains out as he recovers from a hamstring injury, and Sergio Santos appears due to a recent illness.
As for last year’s Wooden Spoon winners, who beat out Atlanta for the anti-hardware on the final matchday of the season, things seem to be looking up. Former Philadelphia striker Tai Baribo has three goals on the season so far, and the side sits fifth in the Eastern Conference (so close to Tyler’s preseason 4th place prediction… not such a hot take after all?) with a 2-2-0 record garnering six points. A late comeback away to the Chicago Fire last weekend certainly provided D.C. with a mometum boost as well. Can Atlanta find a way to continue their form against an opponent that does have wins in their record?
With some help from stats.scarvesandspikes.com, here’s some numbers to know as we approach the 21st meeting between the two red and black Uniteds.
As we prepare to go again in the Benz, familiarize yourself with this weekend’s matchup with our preview articles below:
3 Questions: A look at D.C. United with Donald Wine from The District Press
Insight on D.C. United from The District Press as Atlanta United faces them on Saturday.
Atlanta United vs. D.C. United preview, lineups, injuries, score prediction
All you need to know as Atlanta United takes on D.C. United on Matchday 5.
If making the trip downtown isn’t in your evening plans, you can still catch the broadcast on Apple TV, no MLS Season Pass required. Your English radio broadcast for this one will be on Star 94.1, and the usual spot for Spanish on La Mejor.
No matter where you are, or how things look on the pitch, feel free to chime in on the match down below in our match thread for tonight as the Five Stripes look to go for a second consecutive win.
Atlanta United’s Lineup:
D.C. United’s Lineup:
How to Watch:
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Kickoff Time: Saturday, March 21st, 7:39 PM ET
Available TV/Streaming: Apple TV
Available Radio: Star 94.1, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM
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Should be 3 but at least it’s not zero.
ELL not only under performs. He’s bad. Literally should not be a starter in this league. I’m confused as to how any scout saw his game and was convinced. Not his fault but he shouldn’t start any longer. Stop complaining about Hoyas and complain about this.
Complain about both. Hoyos had some terrible distrition again tonight.
Boooooooring
I mean, I would like to at least have a gk that can jump?
Watching paint dry … and watching us try to lose stupidly
I’m so disappointed in ELL… his movement off the ball is just pathetic. He walks the majority of the time, stays central like a magnet clogging up the middle, does almost no diagonal runs, and looks like most of our players just play around him. We need to cut our losses and move him on this summer.
Hmmm… my concern on this game is that our attack is struggling and doesn’t seem connected. If we make one mistake on defense, we could lose this game 0-1. We desperately need to score first.
Thank the maker, Tata saw the light on Gregersen. Otherwise we very well may have taken zero in this one.
His hand was forced with Berrocal having a slight injury. We’ll see if he’s not too stubborn to switch back when Berrocal is fully healthy again.
Hoyos, Hoyos, Hoyos. I hope this is the last game he plays for our club.
Hoyos out
Hoyos continues to be the weak link. Not as many chances, but I’m not too worried, as it’s due to the dc playing much more conservatively. They’re practically parking the bus.
Hoyos invites too much drama
FFS. Hoyos.
Guys look good. I hate to say it but ELL plays like an upgraded Mosquera almost. I just hope he’s really out of form
Opportunities but poopy crosses
Go green !
DC was Tata’s bogey team first time around. I hope that doesn’t persist again this time around – in the battle of the United’s
Vamos atlanta