Atlanta United is back, for better or worse

Good morning! Sydney here with this edition of the Scarves and Spikes Daily newsletter. Follow me on X, BSky, IG, and Threads.

Atlanta United plays a real, live soccer match tonight

For the first time in 54 days, it’s an Atlanta United matchday. Atlanta is in Music City for an 8:10 ET kickoff (FOX, Apple TV, 92-9 The Game). Which…well, it’s great that they’re back, but…gestures to the standings

It’s hard to ignore the gulf between the two teams right now: Nashville is the Supporters’ Shield leaders, buoyed by a solid attack and an airtight defense (11 goals allowed, fewest in MLS). Atlanta? Not so much.

A real question to ask, though, is whether rust will be a factor and, if so, to what extent. Will Atlanta come out with newfound resolve as it tries to overcome a difficult start to the season? Or will it be more of the same we’ve seen for, well, the better part of the last two years? (With respect to Júnior Alonso and Paulo Díaz, who won’t be in the lineup as they await visas, they aren’t club-changing acquisitions, so we need much more from this front office if the club even wants to sniff the playoffs in 2026.)

On Nashville’s end, it’s a question of whether its start is sustainable. Here’s what Ben Wright from SixOneFive Soccer said:

“I’m a bit more bullish, and think the fact that they were able to grind out results in those matches during a run to the Concacaf Champions Cup semifinals and with some really key injuries bodes well for the rest of the year. Their schedule won’t be as demanding and they’ll have a lot of key guys returning from injury. I think they’re in good shape.”

Catch more of my chat with Ben here. Meanwhile, for our Patreon backers, I caught up with SixOneFive’s Valair Shabilla for an in-depth chat about the match (click here to listen — new subscribers get their first seven days free!)

LIVE Tonight at 7pm ET: Scarves and Spikes Prematch Show

We’re live one hour ahead of the match with instant reaction to the starting XI, plus last-minute predictions. Click here →

Across MLS

Tonight

• Nashville v Atlanta, 8:10 PM ET (FOX, Apple TV)
• LA Galaxy v LAFC, 10:25 PM ET (FOX, Apple TV)

Last Night

• The big one, Chicago Fire FC vs. the Vancouver Whitecaps, was supposed to feature Robert Lewandowski’s debut against former Bayern Munich teammate Thomas Müller. But it was postponed due to air quality concerns in Chicago stemming from the wildfires in Canada.
• The Seattle Sounders started the day tied with Nashville for the fewest goals allowed in MLS. That was before a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of the Portland Timbers in the latest edition of the Cascadia Derby. Woof.
• CF Montréal and Toronto FC raised the curtain on the restart with a thrilling 0-0 draw. (It wasn’t thrilling)
• St. Louis CITY FC blew a 2-0 lead, but Edüard Lowen’s penalty in the 86th minute sealed a 3-2 win over Sporting Kansas City. It was quite the emotional moment for Lowen, who pointed to the sky afterwards to honor his late wife.

That’s it for now. See you in the next one.