Atlanta United Draw New York City FC 1-1

April 6, 2024 – MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Atlanta United 2 News Release

NEW YORK – Atlanta United drew New York City FC 1-1 Saturday night in it’s first appearance at Citi Field, as a second-half equalizer from Jamal Thiaré ultimately split the points. It was Thiare’s third goal of the season, all coming in the club’s last two matches. Brad Guzan also added his first career MLS assist and made a crucial save late in the match to keep the game level.

Atlanta weathered a storm in the opening 15 minutes and became the aggressor for the remainder of a wide-open first half. Noah Cobb, Saba Lobjanidze and Thiago Almada all forced saves from Matt Freese during a five-minute stretch with Almada’s requiring a miraculous kick save in the 22nd minute. Almada and Lobjanidze had efforts in the 31st and 37th minutes that forced Freese into action, respectively.

But New York broke through in the 43rd minute on its first shot on target of the match. Referee Rosendo Mendoza ruled that Tristan Muyumba fouled Santiago Rodriguez and despite a lengthy video review, the call was checked and confirmed. Rodriguez stepped up and calmly slotted home the penalty to give New York a 1-0 lead.

Atlanta leveled in the 65th minute from Thiaré. The play started with Guzan launching a ball nearly the length of the field that Edwin Mosquera latched onto just off the edge of NYCFC’s box. Mosquera immediately crossed into the box where Thiaré beat the last defender and headed to the far post to equalize.

In the final 15 minutes of the match, both sides had good opportunities for a winner. In the 77th minute, Rodriguez found himself with space at the top of the box. He fired a strike towards the top right corner, but Guzan got a hand to it to deflect it off the crossbar and cover the rebound. A couple minutes later, Brooks Lennon found Almada with a low cross inside the box. The Argentine chipped the ball to the far post where Derrick Etienne Jr. nearly converted the pass from a tight angle.

Atlanta United (3-2-1, 10 points) returns to action Sunday, April 14 when it hosts Philadelphia Union at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (2:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass, FOX, 92.9 The Game, La Mejor). All Atlanta United matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app.

Match Summary

Stats

Shots: 23-19 New York

Shots on target: 6-2 Atlanta

Corner kicks: 7-5 New York

Fouls Committed: 13-11 New York

xG: 3.5 – 2.4 Atlanta

Possession: 53-47 New York

Passing accuracy: 82-77 New York

Scoring

NYC…