Atlanta United will be in Chicago at Soldier Field for their next match, a meeting with the Chicago Fire on Mother’s Day weekend. The match comes at a time when Atlanta United is firmly in the regulation zone, if there were such a thing in American soccer. Atlanta, 2-4-5 overall, is currently 13th among the 15 Eastern Conference teams.
A trio of therapy dogs were at training on Tuesday, courtesy of training ground sponsor Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Ajani Fortune was the first player to greet the dosg when he made his way off the pitch and over to address the media after training.
“It helps bring the vibes up a little bit,” Fortune said of the furry visitors.
At training on Tuesday, during the team drills, Atlanta United players looked and sounded like they still had much to play for. Tristan Muyumba, who missed the game against Nashville SC, was off to the side working with one of the team’s trainers. Muyumba had been having a quality stretch of play before suffering an injury during a recent match.
Stian Gregersen, who also missed the game against Nashville SC, spent much of his time at training on Tuesday running around the field with another member of the training staff.
The Good: The Five Stripes came into last Saturday’s match against Nashville SC, a 1-1 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, having not scored a goal in their previous three matches. That three-game string includes consecutive 3-0 losses on the road against the Philadelphia Union and Orlando City FC. Miguel Almiron’s goal in the 20th minute of the Nashville match can be seen as a sign of things to come. The assist from Brooks Lennon was the 40th of the right-back’s career and the most in club history.
Atlanta United defender Matt Edwards echoed the feelings of other players and coaches during what has been a tough start to the 2025 season: “For us, it’s just about staying positive through it all and to keep going,” he said.
The Bad: Atlanta United has not won a match since March 29, when they defeated NYCFC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium 4-3. To make matters worse, Atlanta has only won two of their seven home matches, and both of their victories (3-2 over CF Montreal and the win over NYCFC) were by a single goal.
Fortune, who will likely be back in the starting lineup again next game, said it is the players’ responsibility to win matches.
“For us as players, it is our job to play the best we can,” Fortune said.