CHARLOTTE - Russian midfielder Alexey Miranchuk made his first MLS Start for Atlanta United Saturday night, but it was the first MLS goal by a homegrown midfielder - Jay Fortune - that made the ultimate difference.
The 21-year-old Raleigh native scored from long range in the 55th minute to give Atlanta United its only goal of a 1-0 win over Charlotte FC. His parents Andre and Sherry Fortune were among the 1,000-plus Atlanta United fans cheering him on at Bank of America Stadium.
“Long time coming, I think,” said Fortune, who signed with Atlanta United as a 16-year-old and is in his second full season with the first team. “I just got the feeling that it was coming soon, and no better place than the home state.”
Fortune helped the Five Stripes avenge a 3-2 loss at home to their I-85 rival on June 2, which led to the firing of coach Gonzalo Pineda the following day. The three points helped Atlanta United retain the No. 9 spot above the playoff line against a No. 6 Charlotte team (10-9-8) that’s only lost three times at home this season.
“This is the type of team I would like us to be,” said interim coach Rob Valentino. “This is about attacking fast and being direct.”
Atlanta United has lost its past two games against Charlotte at home but won each of the past two at Bank of America Stadium – both via shutout. The Five Stripes won here 3-0 in March of 2023.
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan and the rest of the Atlanta United defense withstood a flurry of offensive action from Charlotte FC in response to the goal but came away with their fifth clean sheet this season in MLS play. Guzan made six saves but not many of them were under duress.
“There were times in the game we had to suffer, we had to defend,” Guzan said. “We had to do a lot of dirty work tonight, and that’s part of it. That’s part of going on the road and finding a way to get a result.”
The Five Stripes (8-12-7) won for just the third time on the road this season – they’re now 3-7-4 away from home - and return home to play Nashville and Miami after a bye week.
“There’s no breathing room where we’re at in the table, in terms of positioning,” Guzan said. “Hopefully this result will give us confidence to continue to move forward.”
Fortune was greeted after the game with hugs and smiles from his parents and a game ball from Valentino. His dad, Andre, had to be feeling extra validation for what Fortune said were hours spent together with his father pretending to be a goalkeeper while his son shot against a wall near their Raleigh home.
“I know that I have the ability to help the team in front of the goal, from the work I put in with him,” Fortune said.
Charlotte FC, under new English coach Dean Smith, is known for being especially stingy in the box, so Fortune was smart to let a shot fly from well outside 18 yards. His rocket shot to the far post came after Atlanta United moved the ball the length of the field in just three passes. By the time Fortune received the ball in the center circle, he had already broken Charlotte’s midfield line and could dribble up field unhindered.
“Before the game, I was talking to (teammate) Dax (McCarty),” Fortune said. “And he said, ‘You have the ability to drive past defenders. Those two midfielders, if you can catch them, (get) alongside them or in front of them, you’ll be able to drive by.’ I was able to do that.”
Meanwhile, Miranchuk played a calm, collected and productive 90 minutes in just his second game since Atlanta United acquired him on a $13 million transfer from Atalanta of Italy’s Serie A. He was subbed out just as the game went into stoppage time. He left to a handshake and pat on the back from Valentino.
“He was fantastic,” Valentino said. “It’s good to get him integrated to the team as quick as possible. He’s going to help us a lot down the stretch.”
The Five Stripes had several big chances to break through late in the first half but failed to score on three opportunities, including a header by Jamal Thiare that was punched away by Charlotte FC goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina.
For the game, the two teams’ shots on target were even at six, but Atlanta United was taking them from the more dangerous spots. The United’s expected goals, or xG, for the game was 2.1 compared to 0.9 for Charlotte.
“They attacked pretty well in the first half,” Valentino said. “They defended pretty well at times, and then they suffered. We talked about having to suffer and doing the work for each other.”
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