It’s two wins in two for Atlanta United over the past eight days. A victory over Red Bull New York at home last weekend kicked off quite the week for the Five Stripes, and a rare road result against Minnesota United on Wednesday made it back to back wins. Now, Atlanta welcomes last place Sporting Kansas City for their fifth all time meeting as they try to double their season’s win total in a week’s time.
Let’s begin with some head-to-head stats, courtesy of stats.scarvesandspikes.com:
Much like the match against Minnesota, it hasn’t been often that these two cross-conference sides have come up against one another. The last match between them back in February of 2022 opened the season and saw Caleb Wiley score on his debut as Atlanta left 3-1 winners. This year, though, tonight’s meeting is (in Atlanta United’s case) yet another matchup between the bottom two teams in the league.
The two sides have seen each other this year, at least at an unofficial level. Kansas City visited the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Training Ground in Marietta back in July as both sides prepared for the post-World Cup restart. A tense, back and forth friendly match followed, with Atlanta scoring late to win 3-2.
The Five Stripes, despite their recent six point haul, still sit just three points ahead of the lowly SKC side who have far and away the league’s worst goal differential at -30, and have conceded the most goals with 49 in total. Things could be looking up, as on Tuesday Kansas City announced a club-record transfer for Brazillian forward Andre Luiz from Olympiacos on a deal that could nearly triple the previous record amount. SKC are also after a number 10, as evidenced by their recent bid for NYCFC’s Nico Fernandez for an even greater amount per Tom Bogert, but talks are no longer ongoing.
Luckly for Atlanta, the visa process is not a quick one. Luiz will not feature tonight, but he may not be the only star absent for the visitors. Current key striker Dejan Joveljic has an imminent move to Seattle in the works, per Fabrizio Romano just last night, for a $6 million cash transfer. Things couldn’t be more in Atlanta’s favor in a primtime solo Sunday spotlight.
Atlanta will still be awaiting a visa of their own for Mauricio Amaro, whose debut is still on hold. Jay Fortune, with his most recent hamstring injury, is out as well. Will Reilly has returned to availability after recovering from an ankle injury.
Tonight’s match is set for an earlier 7:10 PM ET kickoff tonight in the Benz, with streaming available through Apple TV. 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 as the Five Stripes return to the Benz.
Atlanta Unitedโs Lineup:
Sporting Kansas City’s Lineup:
How to Watch:
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
Kickoff Time: Saturday, August 23rd, 7:10 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 donโt have many rules here. We just ask that you donโt insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and thatโs 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.
Being utterly dominated by KC in 2nd half has ruined all the vibes
hopefully Brennan is alright…
Why not win all the games 2-1 โฆ. Makes it interesting
Typical second half play for ATL. Sloppy and flat. I donโt blame Hoyas for being upset.
I know it doesn’t mean much against one of the few teams that’s worse than us, but man does it feel good to beat up on another team for once.
I did not know SKC has a -30 goal differential…yikes
Commentary said something along the lines of they also have a new head coach, and he started preseason with only 14 players?
I guess SKC is just as bad as Atlanta, if not worse.
Right backs scoring ? What is this 2017 ?!
We are making some good forward passes but keep running into the force field in the attacking end
of course Gregersen is back on the bench…