Atlanta United 2’s first loss in almost exactly a month came at perhaps the worst possible time, as they were thoroughly beaten 4-1 away to Chattanooga FC and failed to get a leg up on the Eastern Conference’s tight playoff race heading into the last matchday of the regular season.
Atlanta dug themselves into a hole early thanks to some uncharacteristic mistakes. In the 10th minute, they gave the ball away at midfield under very little real pressure, and the usually-reliable Jonathan Ransom allowed the ensuing (and rather tame) shot to slip through his legs. Chattanooga’s leading scorer Alexander Krehl then calmly poked the ball into the gaping net for his 18th of the season, moving him into a tie for the league lead, to open the scoring. Even though Chattanooga dominated the rest of the first half, that was the lone blemish on either goalkeeper’s record heading into the break.
Atlanta could only play on the back foot for so long, as Alex McGrath doubled the advantage with his sixth of the year in the 62nd minute. From there, the floodgates opened. Luke Husakiwsky added Chattanooga’s third just three minutes later off a rebound from a Ransom save, and Damien Barker John put the finishing touch on his side’s dominant win in the 86th minute. Arif Kovac gave Atlanta some very small consolation in the 89th minute, but his 19th of the campaign moved him back ahead of Krehl to lead the Golden Boot race outright.
This statement win officially clinches a playoff spot for Chattanooga and assures them of finishing at least second in the East on 53 points. While unlikely, they could even take top spot with a regulation win away to Chicago Fire II on the final day next Sunday paired with a shock loss by conference leaders Crown Legacy away to second-last FC Cincinnati 2. The defeat doesn’t punish Atlanta too heavily on its own as they only drop to fifth. However, it does mean that they’re only three points ahead of 10th and could in theory drop out of an automatic playoff spot altogether, and all the momentum they gathered during their four-match unbeaten run has come to a screeching halt.
Fortunately for Atlanta, though, they very much control their own destiny. They only need a point to secure their first-ever playoff berth, and they wrap up the regular season next Sunday away to Orlando City B, who they trounced 5-1 just last month.