Just yesterday, Tata Martino expressed frustration in a press conference because he hadn’t figured out his best XI in 2026. It appears he’s found it.
Atlanta United earned a 2-1 win over Toronto FC at BMO Field on Saturday, marking its first road win of the season and the team’s first since its 1-0 victory over Nashville SC on August 30, 2025.
The three points give Atlanta seven points from 10 games and a 2-7-1 record, lifting it from the bottom of the Eastern Conference to 13th place, just two points shy of a wildcard spot.
After a 2-1 loss at home to the New England Revolution on Wednesday, Tata Martino opted for more rotation as he continues to find his best XI in the middle of a fixture pile-up. Lucas Hoyos started in goal behind a backline of Elías Báez, Juan Berrocal, Stian Gregersen and Matt Edwards. Tristan Muyumba, Cooper Sanchez and Jay Fortune formed the midfield trio while the front three was made up of Luke Brennan, Alexey Miranchuk and Cayman Togashi, who made his first MLS start.
After a mostly dominant first half display, the Five Stripes opened the scoring shortly after halftime with a sensational Alexey Miranchuk free kick golazo. The Russian international scored the first direct free kick goal on the road in club history and the first since Thiago Almada’s goal in a 4-0 win over Colorado Rapids on May 17, 2023.
Tristan Muyumba doubled the lead in the 67th minute with a sensational first-time finish that curled into the top corner for his first of the season, which he celebrated with a special announcement.
The hosts nudged back into the game shortly after through Emilio Aristizábal, who headed home to make it a 2-1 game in the final 20 minutes. The 20-year-old son of legendary Colombian striker Victor Aristizábal gave The Reds life late in the match with his first for the club.
Despite Toronto’s insistence and a barrage of late corner kicks, where goalkeeper Luka Gavran attempted to repeat the heroics that won him MLSSoccer.com’s Goal of the Matchday vote midweek, the Five Stripes managed to hang on for their second win of the season.
The Five Stripes return to action on Tuesday, April 28, when it travels to Mecklenburg County Sportsplex in Matthews, NC to face Southeastern rival Charlotte FC in the Round of 16 of the 2026 US Open Cup.
What did you think of the match? Let us know in the comments below.
I feel like we have been playing decent football for a while now…given the lack of offense. This is what we needed – a hard fought win on the road where we proved that the defense can hold. This will help out attack a bit too.