Three years after Michael Parkhurst and Atlanta United raised Lamar Hunt US Open At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, coach Gonzalo Pineda and Five Stripes kick off their title defense with a convincing 6-0 win over Chattanooga Team Nysa at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Georgia.
Atlanta United will learn about their next opponent in the US Open on Friday.
The match gave Pineda an opportunity to award minutes to players and players who build up their fitness after recovering from injuries. Bobby Shuttleworth stepped in in place of Brad Guzan, who underwent surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon this week. Pineda confirmed earlier this week that the US Open would be watching the team with all their resources and trying to win. He set a starting lineup that was balanced
Venezuelan right-back Ronald Hernandez opened the scoring for Five Stripes in the 21st minute, after left-back Andrew Gutman took advantage of the space to cross the ball to Hernandez’s feet. Heading into this match, Hernandez hasn’t played since the 3-3 draw with Montreal on March 19.
Striker Dom Dwyer led the line and scored two superb goals in a ten-minute period to boost Atlanta United’s lead.
Marcelino Moreno made up for his missed penalty against Alec Kahn and FC Cincinnati over the weekend with a penalty converted to Jake Mulrany in the 53rd minute.
Luis Araujo entered the field as a substitute alongside Emerson Heidenman in the 62nd minute as the two players continue to build their fitness after returning from injury. Araujo hit the ball over Chattanooga goalkeeper Kevin Gonzalez to add a Brazilian touch to the match.
Miles Robinson, who captained the team in the absence of Brad Guzan, scored the assist after Brooks Lennon put in the sixth and final goal of the night.
This is the kind of result that Atlanta United were expecting, with all due respect to their opponent. It’s a positive that Atlanta was able to execute on the field and put the ball into the back of the net, even if it wasn’t against an opponent of MLS caliber. Considering the Five Stripes closed in the previous two games and Atlanta took a morale blow after losing several key players, this would be a mood booster for the club.
Atlanta United returned to Sunday’s MLS game against Inter Miami who had two consecutive MLS wins against the team. New England Revolution and the Seattle Sounders.
