MARIETTA, Ga. – Following the 4-3 victory over NYCFC last Saturday, the Atlanta United locker room was awash in good vibes. The music was blaring and players were high-fiving and dancing in front of their lockers. The win was the first victory since the home opener in late February.
“Wins are important, they can really help turn the confidence of the team around,” Jay Fortune, who came into the game as a sub for Bartosz Slisz at halftime, said after the match. “We need to enjoy the win, but at the same time, we need to get it behind us. Take the good, take the bad, and put that together into building a good week of training to be ready to go into the game next week.”
Up next for Atlanta United is FC Dallas, a team they are slightly familiar with after playing them in a rain-soaked preseason match in Marietta back in February.
FC Dallas comes into the match on a winning note as well following a 2-1 victory over Sporting Kansas City last Saturday. That victory took place at home in Frisco at Toyota Stadium, but Saturday night will be back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium and the second of three consecutive home matches for Atlanta United. Lucho Acosta has scored three goals in six starts for Dallas, including a goal against Sporting Kansas City last Saturday.
Following training on Tuesday, Atlanta United defender Stian Gregersen acknowledged that he and his backline mates will be keeping a close eye out for Acosta.
“We will be watching him more and we have to be careful about their transition,” Gregersen said. “Tomorrow we will prepare for that game.”
Fortune believes there is an advantage to not just winning, but playing well at The Benz. There were 42,518 people at the NYCFC match last week. Fortune said playing well will keep them coming back.
“Playing in front of this crowd is amazing. We have the best fanbase in the league, best stadium that we have, and being able to perform in front of them and get the win is a great feeling,” Fortune said. “I just can’t wait to see what happens again next week.”
Asked about having given up so many goals at home this season, Gregersen joked that he expects Atlanta United to win 1-0 some of the time rather than 4-3 like last week.
“We can’t score four goals every game, but we have to tighten it up,” Gregersen said. “We have to find a balance.”
