The latter half of the Major League Soccer (MLS) season is here, and for Atlanta United, the matches that are left to play may be more concerning next season than they are this season.
The Five Stripes, winners of their final Leagues Cup match, 4-1 over Atlas on Wednesday night, are currently embedded in a stretch where they have not won an MLS match in nearly two months (May 28). That said, they have been even worse on the road this season. Atlanta United, 4-9-11 overall, is 0-3-8 on the road this season, with the three draws coming at Austin, D.C., and Toronto. Only Austin FC (9-6-8 overall) has a winning record among the three teams that allowed Atlanta United to leave their grounds with a point.
Next up for manager first-year Atlanta United Ronny Deila, team captain Miguel Almiron (three goals and four assists in 22 matches this season), the team’s leading goal scorer Emmanuel Latte Lath (seven goals in 23 matches), and arguably the team’s best player Alexey Miranchuk (four goals and three assists in 24 MLS matches, two goals in Leagues Cup play), are road matches at CF Montreal on Saturday, Augu. 9, and in Commerce City, Colorado, at the Colorado Rapids on the following Saturday, Aug. 16.
One of Atlanta’s four victories came against Montreal in the season opener at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Latte Lath scored two of his team’s three goals during the 3-2 victory. This rematch will be one of the few times the Five Stripes are favored over an opponent on the road. The game in Colorado will be the one and only time Atlanta United will play in the Centennial State. The Rapids are ninth in the Western Conference standings, which leaves them in playoff position, a point behind Real Salt Lake.
The most recent road match was in Orlando at Inter&Co Stadium against Liga MX club Pumas. The 3-1 loss, which does not count towards the team’s already anemic road record, included Atlanta’s only goal, an own-goal by Keylor Navas of Pumas in the 35th minute of the match.
Help might be on the way in the form of an English midfielder from the Championship. Steven Alzate, who most recently played for Hull City in the country’s second division, was announced as the latest addition to the club. Hull City finished seventh in the championship and ended the 2024-2025 campaign with a 1-1 draw with Portsmouth on May 25. Alzate played in 22 of 29 games that season, so his healthy legs might be what Atlanta United needs to close this season on a good note.
What’s Next:
Atlanta United will return home to host Toronto on Sunday, August 24, before ending the month of August with a short road trip to Tennessee to face Nashville SC on Saturday, August 30. Nashville and Atlanta United played to a 1-1 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on May 3.