After a 95th minute goal from Osaze de Rosario completed a Seattle Sounders comeback, a thunderous strike from 20 yards out by Alexey Miranchuk saved a point for Atlanta United in the 99th minute, capping a chaotic 2-2 draw.
Atlanta’s lineup had two changes, and they did not include Enea Mihaj’s debut appearance on the bench. Pedro Amador started at left back after being sat for Matt Edwards in the last match, and Stian Gregersen returned from injury to start in place of Efrain Morales (who was sold to CF Montreal).
United got off to a very encouraging start in the first few minutes, as Emmanuel Latte Lath combined with Luke Brennan for a 1-2 in the box. When Atlanta’s striker went to cross the ball centrally from the left side of the box, it deflected off Seattle defender Yeimar Gomez, carried over Stefan Frei in goal, and went in to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Afterwards, while Seattle controlled the majority of possession, Atlanta looked the more threatening side and put together a lot of half-chances, with only the final pass or finish missing. Pedro Amador and Alexey Miranchuk were taking over the game, and 33 minutes in, an Amador cross reached Miranchuk in the box. He had found his way behind two Seattle defenders, but his header went over the bar.
Emmanuel Latte Lath received the ball at his own box three minutes later, beat one defender with a body fake, beat another by taking a touch past and going around him the other way, and drove on the break all the way to Seattle’s final third. What looked to be a certain goal was quickly taken care of by Seattle’s Obed Vargas, who tracked back and forced Latte Lath to take a touch backwards. He slipped and failed to keep the ball while on the ground.
Just before the half, Luke Brennan, who was already having a good game individually on the ball, hit the post. A 1-2 with Tristan Muyumba and a big second touch to blow by Albert Rusnak created the opportunity, but the strike to the near post did not go in. He would hit the back of the net rather than the woodwork two minutes later after picking up an Almiron shot attempt centrally, but it was called back as Brennan was a foot behind the Seattle backline.
At the beginning of the second half, Seattle applied significantly more pressure than they had been, likely trying to take advantage of United’s woeful streak of allowing goals within the 45th and 60th minute. However, Atlanta had fought chances off and in the 54th minute had a chance of their own. After some good combination play, Latte Lath had a cross from the right side of the box blocked. It was then cleared towards midfield and Stian Gregersen went up to head the ball away. However, Albert Rusnak managed to out-muscle his larger opponent, resulting in the ball bouncing over their heads to Pedro de la Vega. Seattle’s DP winger took advantage of the 3v1, driving into the box and slotting his shot at the near post past Guzan for the equalizer. The winger scored his 4th goal of the year against the club with rumored interest in him, and Atlanta lost a home lead in the second half once again.
That made the home crowd restless. Frustration was boiling over, so when Derrick Williams and Alexey Miranchuk gave up the ball to Seattle, boos rained down from across Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was a quick appearance of the boo-birds that had appeared at the end of games throughout the season.
In the 64th minute, Miguel Almiron played the ball in between two defenders to Miranchuk in the box. He played it back to Bartosz Slisz with miles of space to shoot, and his shot curved left but went over the bar.
Atlanta made two substitutions in the 66th minute. Gregersen was subbed out on his return from injury for new signing Enea Mihaj, and Latte Lath was subbed out for Jamal Thiare. Two minutes after, Derrick Williams slid to cut off a low ball into the box from Seattle, but when his leg came up, it flicked the ball towards goal and it hit off the left side of the crossbar. It would have been a very pretty but tragic own goal, and Atlanta got a lucky break to keep things level.
With about 15 minutes to go, Atlanta were moving the ball around well in the final third. Miranchuk combined in a 1-2 with Almiron, who had found space centrally, then crossed the ball back in from the right side. It fell to Ronald Hernandez, who instead of passing to Almiron behind him with space to shoot, tried a volley of his own that went over the bar. Almiron subsequently let out his anger, throwing his hands to the sky.
A minute later, an odd scene appeared as Tristan Muyumba carried off center referee Ramy Touchan with an injury. The 4th official, Alexis Da Silva, would replace him. Muyumba was then taken off himself for Will Reilly and Saba Lobjanidze subbed on for Luke Brennan.
In the last minute before stoppage time, Christian Roldan whipped in a perfect ball from the right to recent sub Osaze de Rosario. He rose high for his first touch of the match, but his header went into the ground and wide right. The son of MLS legend Dwayne de Rosario would get another chance, however, and in the 95th minute, he headed home a cross from Nouhou that perfectly met him inside the box. Enea Mihaj could have jumped up for the ball but didn’t, and Derrick Williams was struggling with positioning on de Rosario and reacted late to the cross. In only his 6th appearance, de Rosario scored his first goal for Seattle, and it seemed like it was going to be a match winner.
Enter Alexey Miranchuk.
The controversial Atlanta United Designated Player had, like many on the team, followed up a great first half performance with a woeful last 45. But in the 99th minute, after the new center ref let time leak over the allotted 8 minutes, number 59 received a pass from Almiron and ripped the last kick of the game off the inside of the post and into the top left corner from 20 yards out. It was an improbable equalizer, continuing Atlanta’s history of doing so against Seattle at home (Andrew Gutman in 2022), and Miranchuk’s 4th goal of the season was another late point-saving strike for United.
This match was a common sight for Atlanta United fans: a promising first half, a terrible second half where a lead was given up, and a late equalizer. While Miranchuk and Almiron connected much better than in previous matches, plenty of norms reappeared throughout, including defensive struggles with Gregersen and Williams, the little impact from Emanuel Latte Lath, and disappointing substitutions. While the performance of Luke Brennan and another point earned can give fans something to smile about, this draw extends Atlanta’s winless streak to 8, and they stay 13th in the Eastern Conference at 4-9-11 with 21 points. Atlanta will be 14 points off a playoff spot going into Leagues Cup, a competition in which Atlanta could potentially make this season mean something, but as for today’s game, it was more of the same in a disappointing affair.
Atlanta United will play their first Leagues Cup match against LigaMX side Necaxa at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Wednesday at 7:30pm EST.
Thanks. You continue to provide the best AUFC game coverage.