Atlanta United 2 fell 4-1 against Carolina Core FC at Truist Point Stadium on Wednesday night. Defender Ethan Dudley bagged his first professional goal in the first half while Matías Gallardo added his third assist in three matches.
Carolina Core found the back of the net within two minutes of kickoff. Forward Jacob Evans whipped in a corner to an unmarked Facundo Canete at the center of the box who was able to head the ball to the far right side of goal.
Atlanta netted an equalizer off a corner of their own in the 38th minute. Gallardo sent a ball to the middle of the penalty area to meet the left foot of Dudley who slipped a shot under an on-rushing Alex Sutton.
In the 41st minute, Evans sprinted down the left side on a counter to get an open opportunity on goal but Efraín Morales was able to get in front of the play and execute a slide tackle to poke the ball away. The ball then landed at the feet of Gallardo who turned and carried it up the pitch before cutting inside and ripping a left-footed shot that looked like it was heading into the upper left corner but ultimately missed the target.
The home side found another goal in the 45th minute. Atlanta midfielder Javier Armas headed away a cross that was barreling towards Evans at the back post, but his clearance landed at the feet of David Polanco at the penalty spot who struck the ball to the back of the net.
Three minutes into stoppage time, Carolina looked to claim another goal after playing a ball over the defense but Morales got tangled up with a Core attacker outside his own 18 and was issued his second yellow card of the half. Jayden Hibbert denied Carolina a goal before the break on the subsequent free kick after the ball was sent to the back post for a close-range header.
The Core found a third in the 57th minute after Evans took the ball to the goal line before floating it to Canete who rose to get off a header that was sent to the bottom left corner. Evans scored Carolina Core's final goal of the match in the 90th minute after receiving a pass on the left flank, driving into the box and sliding a shot past Hibbert.
Atlanta United 2 (6-11-5, 26 points) continues its three-match road trip on Sunday, Sept. 1 when the team travels to take on Chattanooga FC at Finley Stadium (7:00 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 1,980 minutes this season.
- Javier Armas led all players in total passes with 72.
- Ethan Dudley scored his first professional goal.
- Matías Gallardo notched his fourth assist of the season. It was his third assist in three matches.
Stats:
Shots: 15-10 Carolina
Shots on target: 8-2 Carolina
Corner kicks: 3-2 Atlanta
Fouls Committed: 11-9 Atlanta
Passing accuracy: 89.6% - 88.3% Atlanta
Scoring:
CCFC – Facundo Canete (Evans) 2'
ATL – Ethan Dudley (Gallardo) 38'
CCFC – David Polanco (Unassisted) 45'
CCFC – Facundo Canete (Evans) 57'
CCFC – Jacob Evans (Cuevas) 90'
Disciplinary:
CCFC – Facundo Canete 🟨 7'
CCFC – Carlos Diaz 🟨 24'
ATL – Efraín Morales 🟨 29'
CCFC – Musnguchi Alenga 🟨 40'
ATL – Efraín Morales 🟨 / 🟥 45'+3'
ATL – Jayden Hibbert 🟨 45'+4'
