Atlanta United 2 fell on the road 2-1 to Crown Legacy FC at Sportsplex at Matthews on Sunday evening. Nick Firmino scored the lone goal for Atlanta while newcomer Rodrigo Neri made his professional debut.
Atlanta was active on the offensive end early in the match. In the eighth minute, Academy defender Dominik Chong Qui won a duel in the midfield, dropping the ball to Javier Armas while he made a run into the box. Chong Qui was able to get a shot off that curved away from goal, but the play was ultimately called offside. Shortly after in the 14th minute, Firmino orchestrated a chance by picking out Erik Centeno on the right wing, who lofted a cross to the center of the box for Firmino to get a head on, but was stopped by the keeper.
Crown Legacy kicked off the scoring in the 22nd minute after forward Brandon Cambridge carried the ball down the touchline past two Atlanta defenders before he got off a pass to the back post that Dylan Sing finished off to take a 1-0 lead.
In the second half, Centeno collected the ball on the right flank where he slid in a pass into the box for Neri, but his attempt was met by the keeper and kicked away. In the 66th minute, Ethan Dudley tried to clear a ball sent into the box by Jahlane Forbes, but tangled up with Cambridge and conceded a penalty. Cambridge approached the spot and converted the penalty by going up the middle.
Firmino pulled one back for ATL UTD 2 in the 74th minute. Academy product Cooper Sanchez picked out the Brazilian making a run towards the box, flicking a ball over the top of Crown Legacy's defense while Firmino muscled a defender off. The attacking midfielder met the ball in the box, taking on a second defender by cutting inside and ripping a left-footed shot that made its way in the back of the net.
Atlanta United 2 (3-9-4, 15 points) continues play on the road as the squad travels to take on Huntsville City FC at Wicks Family Field on Saturday, July 27 (8:00 p.m. ET, Apple TV – MLS Season Pass, Soccer Down Here). Some ATL UTD 2 matches are available with an MLS Season Pass subscription, located on the Apple TV app while the remainder of matches are streamed live on MLSNEXTPro.com.
Notes:
- Midfielder Javier Armas is the only ATL UTD 2 player to appear in all 1,440 minutes this season.
- Erik Centeno led all players in crosses with five.
- Nick Firmino scored his second goal of the season.
- Nick Firmino led all players in shots with six.
- With his appearance in the starting lineup, forward Rodrigo Neri made his ATL UTD 2 debut.
Stats:
Shots: 19-12 Atlanta
Shots on target: 6-3 Atlanta
Corner kicks: 6-1 Atlanta
Fouls Committed: 15-10 Atlanta
Passing accuracy: 90.5% - 85.0% Atlanta
Scoring:
CLFC – Dylan Sing (Cambridge) 22'
CLFC – Brandon Cambridge (Penalty) 67'
ATL – Nick Firmino (Unasssisted) 74'
Disciplinary:
ATL – Karim Tmimi 🟨 30'
ATL – Matías Gallardo 🟨 34'
ATL – Noble Okello 🟨 35'
CLFC – Brandon Cambridge 🟨 43'
ATL – Dominik Chong Qui 🟨 47'
