Atlanta United 2 Falls 3-2 in Season Opener vs. New England Revolution II

March 26, 2023 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro) – Atlanta United 2 News Release

Atlanta United 2 on game day
(Atlanta United 2)

ATLANTA – Atlanta United 2 fell 3-2 in the 2023 season opener to New England Revolution II. Raimar and Nicolas Firmino scored in the second half, but the comeback fell short. Despite the loss, Tyler Young and Karim Tmimi made their professional debuts.

Goalkeeper Vicente Reyes was called into action right away as he stopped a close range shot from Malcolm Fry in the first minute. ATL UTD 2 quickly settled into the contest as both teams looked to find clear cut chances. The first scoring opportunity for Atlanta came in the 18th minute when Young found Alan Carleton running free down the middle. Carleton played a through ball into the path of Johnny Villal, but his shot was saved by Nico Campuzano. Moments later, New England struck the post as Jordan Adebayo-Smith rounded Reyes but couldn’t find the open net.

In the 37th minute, New England scored first. Off a short corner, captain Jake Rozhansky sent in a low cross that was deflected by Atlanta’s Aiden McFadden into his own net at the near post. A couple minutes later, David Mejia nearly finished off a cross from McFadden, but his volley sailed over the bar. New England took a 1-0 halftime lead into the break.

The visitors doubled their lead early in the second half as Rozhansky collected a loose ball at the top of the box. He settled the ball onto his left foot and curled a beautiful shot into the top left corner leaving Reyes no chance. Pierre Cayet extended the New England lead in the 60th minute, scoring a header off a corner kick.

Atlanta continued to attack looking for a response. In the 82nd minute, Firmino headed a cross onto the crossbar, then Tmimi couldn’t convert the rebound as Atlanta nearly found the back of the net. Two minutes later, Raimar finished a beautiful move with a tap-in at the far post off a Erik Centeno cross. In the 90th minute, Firmino earned a penalty kick after being pushed down in the box. He converted the penalty with a low strike into the bottom left corner. Atlanta continued to push for the equalizer until the end, but came up short.

Atlanta United 2 returns to action when it hosts New York Red Bulls II on Sunday, April 2 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium (7:00 p.m., MLSNEXTPro.com, Soccer Down Here Radio). Some ATL UTD 2 matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app while the remainder of matches are streamed…