The largest soccer crowd in the world in more than a year inspired Atlanta United in the final seconds to pull out a 1-0 win against Montreal on a header by Marcelino Moreno on Saturday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Five Stripes, playing in front of an announced attendance of 40,116, put just two of its 10 shots on goal but the last, a header by Moreno from a pass by Jake Mulraney, in the final seconds proved to be the difference. Mulraney put his cross in from the left, where Moreno headed into the lower right corner for his second goal this season. Moreno said he was cramping up and gave everything he had to get into position to score.
“He’s (Moreno) a player who is going to try and try all the time,” manager Gabriel Heinze said. “You can see that he wanted to help the team. You try and try and try and at one point you get it. I’m very happy for him.”
The team (2-1-2) moves into a tie atop the Eastern Conference and now faces a tough stretch of games that starts next week at Seattle and continues with home games against Nashville, which made the playoffs last season and is off to a solid start this season, and Philadelphia, which easily eliminated Atlanta United from the Champions League two weeks ago.
“It’s a massive three points, plain and simple,” Atlanta United’s Brad Guzan said.
Atlanta United’s offense struggled until the match-winner. It put just one of its nine shots on goal through the first 90-plus minutes.
Atlanta United’s starting 11 was composed of Josef Martinez at striker, with Moreno, Franco Ibarra, Emerson Hyndman, Erik Lopez and Santiago Sosa in the midfield, Brooks Lennon and George Bello as the fullbacks, Miles Robinson and Alan Franco as the centerbacks, with Guzan in goal. Changes from last week were Franco in for Anton Walkes and Ibarra in for Mulraney. In another change, Moreno was moved back to the wing, which is where he started the season. Manager Gabriel Heinze had moved him inside in the past two games in an attempt to replace the injured Ezequiel Barco, who missed his third consecutive game.
Atlanta United dominated the game early. Lopez put the first shot on goal in the sixth minute. It was a header that was saved. Martinez followed with a shot that wasn’t on frame in the seventh minute, and Moreno took another in the eighth minute.
Momentum began to shift with Montreal enjoying the better play for most of the next 10 minutes, with three of its shots blocked by Atlanta United players.
The first real, not piped in from a recording, “Atlanta”, “United” chant rang out across the 21st minute.
The only highlight for the Five Stripes for the rest of the half was the “A-T-L” chant, again live, in the 40th minute. It was the bright spot because the team took just one shot after the ninth minute. Shanked by Moreno, it went very much wide.
Atlanta United had a goal called back because Hyndman was judged to be offside early in the second half.
That shot was sandwiched between Montreal hitting the crossbar with a shot, and then Bjorn Johnsen put a header from a few yards away wide in the 62nd minute.
Bello put in a second consecutive good cross in the 78th minute but Martinez’s header went wide.
Mulraney came on for Lopez in the 78th minute. Mulraney, in his first bit of possession, put in a cross that was turned out for a corner kick in the 79th minute.
A good chance from a Mulraney free kick in the 83rd minute was stopped by Montreal goalkeeper Clement Diop.
And then came the deciding goal.
“It means a lot because it’s a goal that was able to get us three points tonight,” Moreno said. “As a team we fought and never gave up on our idea.”
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Atlanta United’s 2021 MLS schedule
April 17 Atlanta United 0, Orlando 0
April 24 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 1
May 1 New England 2, Atlanta United 1
May 9 Atlanta United 1, Inter Miami 1, 1 p.m., ABC
May 15 vs. Montreal, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
May 23 at Seattle, 4:30 p.m., Fox
May 29 vs. Nashville, 3:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
June 20 vs. Philadelphia, 2 p.m., ESPN
June 23 at NYCFC (at Red Bull Arena), TBD, BSSO/BSSE
June 27 vs. New York Red Bulls, 3:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 3 at Chicago, 8 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 8 at Nashville, 8:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
July 17 vs. New England, 5 p.m., ESPN
July 21 at Cincinnati, 7 p.m., FS1
July 24 vs. Columbus, 3:30 p.m., ABC
July 30 at Orlando, 8 p.m., ESPN
Aug. 4 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 7 at Columbus, 7:30 p.m. BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 15 vs. LAFC, 4 p.m. ESPN
Aug. 18 vs. Toronto, 7 p.m. BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 21 at D.C. United, 8 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Aug. 28 vs. Nashville, 3:30 p.m., Univision
Sept. 10 vs. Orlando, 7 p.m., FS1
Sept. 15 vs. Cincinnati, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Sept. 18 vs. D.C. United, 3:30 p.m., Univision
Sept. 25 at Philadelphia,3:30 p.m., Univision
Sept. 29 vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m., FS1
Oct. 2 at Montreal, 7 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Oct. 16 at Toronto, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Oct. 20 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Oct. 27 vs. Inter Miami, 7:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Oct. 30 vs. Toronto, 6 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
Nov. 3 at New York Red Bulls, TBD, BSSO/BSSE
Nov. 7 at Cincinnati, 3:30 p.m., BSSO/BSSE
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