Atlanta United vs CF Montréal: Match Thread and How to Watch

It’s the eighth match in the span of a month for 13th in the East Atlanta United tonight, and yet the mood is… somewhat optimistic?

I wouldn’t have expected to be looking forward to a match between Atlanta United and CF Montréal, but here we are. The Five Stripes now have two victories in a row (on the road, at that) against Toronto FC last Saturday in MLS play and Charlotte FC the following Tuesday in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 to advance to the quarterfinals.

Sure, neither win was neccesarily decisive. Toronto nearly brought the match level towards the end, and Charlotte trotted out a heavily rotated squad that took a second, self inflicted goal to push ahead with. But they were wins, which, ultimately, Atlanta has had agonizingly few of. So, no matter how they came about, it’s two wins over the past week.

Now, returning back home to Mercedes-Benz Stadium this evening, Atlanta United looks to turn their recent mometum into a win streak.

First, let’s check out some head-to-head stats, courtesy of stats.scarvesandspikes.com:

Neither side has had a good start to the season. Not even an okay start. Both sides sit in the bottom four of the Eastern Conference, and while Tata Martino has remained for Atlanta’s latest rebuild, CF Montréal fired head coach Marco Donadel after losing six of their first seven matches. Montréal immediately expereinced the fabled “new manager bump” with interim Philippe Eullaffroy coaching the side through back to back wins over Red Bull New York and New York City FC.

Suddenly, a matchup of bottom dwellers becomes a race to three consecutive victories. Will the Five Stripes be the ones to get there in front of a home crowd?

To do so, Atlanta will need to continue to utilitze their young talent. Homegrown players like Jay Fortune, Cooper Sanchez, Will Reilly, Matt Edwards, and Luke Brennan have all made impacts over the past week. With players easing off the injury report such as Miguel Almiron, Cayman Togashi, and Sergio Santos all listed questionable, how will the matchday roster adapt to keep up recent success? Notably, neither of the recent wins saw Designated Player striker Latte Lath in the starting lineup for Atlanta. The $22 million signing hasn’t found his goalscoring boots thus far, but last year scored twice against Montréal in a season opening win in the Benz. Can he find a way to break out once again against this side?

If you’re not one of the folks headed to the Benz for one of the final home matches before the World Cup break, feel free to tune in on Apple TV, no MLS Season Pass required. If audio is more your vibe, 92.9 The Game has your English language coverage, while La Mejor is your go-to for Spanish radio.

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 go after a third win in as many tries.

Atlanta United’s Lineup:

TBA

CF Montréal’s Lineup:

TBA

How to Watch:

Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia

Kickoff Time: Saturday, May 2nd, 7:40 PM ET

Available TV/Streaming: Apple TV

Available Radio: 92.9 The Game, La Mejor 1600/1460/1130 AM

This thread will be your match thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.