Atlanta United gave a decent account of themselves against the MLS Eastern Conference leaders, but a pair of goals in the second half saw them fall to Nashville SC, 2-0, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night.
Cristian Espinoza broke a scoreless deadlock in the 61st minute before Shakir Mohammed iced it with his first MLS goal in second-half stoppage time. Hany Mukhtar had a pair of assists for Nashville, who was without Sam Surridge for the second match in a row due to a hamstring injury.
Atlanta, missing Miguel Almiron, went to more of a 4-4-2 look. Along with a first-choice backline, the midfield featured Jay Fortune, MatÃas Galarza, Cooper Sanchez, and Tristan Muyumba. Emmanuel Latte Lath and Alexey Miranchuk were the forwards.
It was a relatively even first half, for what it’s worth. Lucas Hoyos, who has received plenty of flack from the fan base, made a pair of key saves late in the first half to keep things level. Atlanta, as is often the case, failed to generate much of their own, epitomized by Latte Lath missing a clear-cut chance with Nashville goalkeeper Brian Schwake off his line (although it was eventually called offside).
The dam inevitably burst just past the hour mark after Latte Lath was dispossessed in Nashville’s end. That led to a counter attack the other way and Mukhtar eventually getting the ball. He passed it to Espinoza, who finished far-post past Hoyos to make it 1-0.
In the 79th minute, though, Atlanta saw their best chance of the half as Alexey Miranchuk found himself with a clear path to goal before Schwake dealt with the shot rather easily. Miranchuk actually collided with a Nashville player in the box, but penalty shouts from Atlanta went unheard by referee Allen Chapman.
The nail in the coffin came in the first minute of second half stoppage time through Mohammed. The former No. 2 overall pick out of Duke in 2023 cashed in on Mukhtar’s second assist of the night for his first goal in MLS.
Atlanta returns to the pitch on Wednesday as they face the New England Revolution at 7:30 p.m. ET. Click here to fill out our player ratings form from tonight’s match.
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
- 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
Start your free trial
I’ve been quiet so far, so I’ll stay quiet.
Please share. I always appreciate your candor.
We r literally in the same spot (14th) we finished last year after the loss to Nashville…….enough said.
We are going down. Let’s see what we can do in USL.
We’d be the most expensive team in USL history, by a factor of ten, but would finish mid table.
To be fair, if relegation was a thing in the US, Atlanta would actually have to sell all the high priced players since the money structure would be different like the when that happens in Europe.
I would accept relegation in this scenario: this is what it feels like. We should rebuild, beat up in a smaller league for a season, build momentum, and try the big leagues again next season.