While the Atlanta United first team has had its well-documented struggles, two of its academy teams are on the verge of winning titles at the MLS Next Cup in Utah.
Atlanta’s U-13s and U-17s will each look to win their respective age groups on Sunday. First, the U-13s take on the LA Galaxy at 11:30 a.m. ET in the Championship Division before the U-18s face Orlando City at 2 p.m. ET in the Homegrown Division final.
The U-13s won both their games on Thursday (5-3 over Cincinnati United and 2-0 over California-based Strikers FC) and played New Jersey’s Real Futbol Academy to a 1-1 draw on Friday before advancing 5-3 on penalties. Then, in the semifinals, they topped Inter Miami 2-1 to punch their ticket to the final.
The U-18s’ path to the final started with a 2-1 win over New Jersey’s Cedar Stars Academy on May 24 and Monday’s 5-0 rout of PA Classics. Wednesday featured a tense affair as Atlanta scored from the spot late to make it 1-1 before beating the Philadelphia Union 7-6 on penalties. On Friday, though, they had a much easier time against Inter Miami, winning 3-0.
Both matches will be streamed on the MLS YouTube channel.