Atlanta United defeats Montreal, advances to face Miami in MLS playoffs

MONTREAL - A franchise that hasn’t been able to win a big game for four seasons suddenly can’t stop being successful.

Saba Lobjanidze converted the fifth and final penalty kick to carry Atlanta United past Montreal in penalty kicks, 5-4, after goals from Brooks Lennon and Stian Gregersen were offset by two from former Atlanta United star Josef Martinez to end regulation tied at 2 on Tuesday at Stade Saputo.

It was Atlanta United’s third consecutive win, a first this season, following successful must-win matches that put the team into the wild card round. Atlanta United will next play Inter Miami in a best-of-three playoff series that will start on Friday in Fort Lauderdale. The second match is scheduled to be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Nov. 2. The stadium may be open to full capacity, depending upon demand.

Tuesday’s win was Atlanta United’s first time advancing in the playoffs since 2019. It was knocked out in its first series in 2023 by Columbus and 2021 by NYCFC. Atlanta United improved to 8-5-1 in postseason matches.

“I don’t have a perfect answer (why), but I’m just glad it’s happening now,” interim manager Rob Valentino said. “I think that over time we would see something like this. That was our internal belief.”

Valentino made one change to the starting lineup from the Orlando match that pushed his team into the playoffs. Ronald Hernandez came in at right fullback with Lennon replacing Tyler Wolff at right wing. Jamal Thiare started at striker, with Alexey Miranchuk, Lobjanidze, Jay Fortune and Bartosz Slisz in the midfield, Derrick Williams and Gregersen as the centerbacks, Pedro Amador joining Hernandez as the fullbacks, and Brad Guzan in goal. Seven of the players in the lineup also started in the 1-0 loss at Montreal in July, which was arguably its worst offensive performance this season.

In penalty kicks, McCarty, Rios, Miranchuk and Williams, some of the team’s most-experienced players, scored before Lobjanidze hit his shot into the lower left corner. Guzan saved Montreal’s second penalty kick by diving to his left to prove the difference. Atlanta United improved to 2-4 in best-of penalty kicks.

Valentino said they didn’t spent any extra time taking penalty kicks before the match because he was planning on winning without needing them. Valentino said he did go through different iterations of who would take them depending upon who was on the field.

Montreal was the more aggressive team in the opening 20 minutes, forcing Guzan to make two long-range saves with two other shots going inches wide of either post.

Once Atlanta United was able to keep the ball it held onto possession long enough to take the energy out of Miami’s attack.

Then, after more than 40 passes during the sequence, Amador hit a looping cross from outside the 18-yard box that a diving Lennon hit with his head across the goal and into the lower left corner to give Atlanta United a 1-0 lead in the 29th minute. It was Lennon’s first goal and Amador’s fifth assist. It was just the seventh goal scored by Atlanta United in the first 30 minutes of a match this season. Two came in last week’s win at Orlando.

“We spoke about the threat on back-post finishing and we watched a bunch of video before this game, attacking the far post, especially when the ball gets wide,” Lennon said.

Lennon put a shot over the bar from a few yards away in the 32nd minute, this time from a Lobjanidze cross.

Atlanta United struck again to take a 2-0 lead on a header by Gregersen in the 44th minute. Miranchuk hit a free kick won by Fortune to the back post where Gregersen headed it down into the ground and into the goal. It was Gregersen’s third goal and Miranchuk’s second assist. It was the sixth set piece (non-penalty kick) goal scored by Atlanta United this season. It was a set piece that Atlanta United has worked on with assistant coach Liam Curran, according to Gregersen.

“It was a fantastic free kick by Alexey,” Gregersen said.

Amador, who was seen by trainers late in the first half, sat down on the turf in the 48th minute and was replaced by Tyler Wolff, with Hernandez switching to the left and Lennon dropping from right wing to right fullback.

Wolff hit a cross-field pass that put Lobjanidze in on keeper Jonathan Sirois, who made the save in the 53rd minute to keep Atlanta United’s lead at 2-0.

Atlanta United would rue that missed chance, as well as others from the second half.

Montreal cut Atlanta United’s lead to 2-1 on a poacher’s goal in the 63rd minute by Martinez, who was first to react to a ball spilled by Guzan after he and Gregersen tried not to collide as both went to clear a cross. Gregersen said he could hear Guzan calling his name.

George Campbell, another former Atlanta United player, forced Guzan to make a diving save with his fingertips in the 73rd minute. McCarty and Rios came on for Thiare and Fortune on the ensuing corner kick.

Atlanta United, much like in the opening 15 minutes of the first half, couldn’t keep the ball long enough to play its way out of its half.

Guzan made another diving save, this time to his left, to stop a free kick by Tom Pearce in the 76th minute.

Atlanta United began to regain some control. Rios went wide in the 79th minute with a right-footed shot from a tight angle. Lobjanidze mishit a shot from close-range in the 81st minute. It was Atlanta United’s 13th shot. Montreal had 16.

Montreal won a free kick in the 85th minute inches away from the top of the 18-yard box when Lennon fouled Kwadwo Opoku. Referee Joe Dickerson initially ruled the foul happened outside the box. After a review, he decided that it happened inside the box, setting up Martinez against Guzan. Lennon said he thought the foul happened outside the box and that the call was harsh. Valentino said he wasn’t sure it was even a foul.

Martinez did the hop-skip that he’s known for in his run-up and buried the shot to his right. Guzan dove the right way to his left but the shot was hit with too much power to be stopped. It was Martinez’s sixth goal against his former team and fourth in the past two meetings to set up the penalty kicks.

The kicks were taken toward Montreal’s supporters section. Guzan grabbed the ball before Martinez could in a bit of gamesmanship.

Martinez buried his shot almost into the same spot as he did in regulation. McCarty followed by putting his shot to the right, too.

Pearce was next. He tried to go to the right but Guzan made the save. Rios put his shot down the middle to give Atlanta United a 2-1 advantage.

Montreal’s Nathan Saliba and Miranchuk, who had a penalty saved by Orlando’s Pedro Gallese on Decision Day, converted to give Atlanta United a 3-2 lead.

Gabriel Corbo and Williams scored to make it 4-3, Atlanta United, going into the decisive and clinching fifth round.

It was the third time this season that Atlanta United faced penalty kicks. It was its second time having success.

“We knew that when it gets into that area, we’ve been in it before,” Valentino said. “So we prepped, as a staff, we prepped. We were ready to go, and when the moment came, we were ready to make the decisions there. And Brad has been great all season about penalty kicks, and I just like that they had it, togetherness. You look at the guys out on the pitch, they were together the whole time.”

Lennon had an answer why the team is suddenly surging, unbeaten on the road in its last five.

“The right time to get on a little roll,” he said. “Nothing (is different), nothing. We just got the right mentality, the right players. We’re making the right decisions, defending, well, scoring, our chances, and that’s it, I think.”

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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule

Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in U.S. Open Cup