Major League Soccer released the 2023 schedule for all clubs on Tuesday afternoon. In 2023, Atlanta United will play a 34-match regular season schedule that kicks off in February.
There are some exciting matchups to look forward to, including a rematch of the 2018 MLS Cup. Here are a few other takeaways from Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS schedule:
1. Atlanta’s MLS season starts February 25
That’s right, we now have an official date for the kickoff of Atlanta United’s 2023 MLS campaign. (Although it’s not the first time the team plays in 2023... Atlanta United will travel to play Chattanooga FC at the end of January for a preseason friendly and host Deportivo Toluca F.C. at the American Family Insurance Cup on February 15.) For the second straight year, Atlanta opens their MLS season at home at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against a Western Conference opponent. For 2023, the 5-Stripes will host the San Jose Earthquakes, a club that finished in last place in their conference in 2022.
2. Atlanta United plays reigning MLS champions, LAFC
A matchup that jumps right off the page for Atlanta United is against LAFC on Saturday, June 3. LAFC enters 2023 as the defending league champions, winning the 2022 MLS Cup on penalty kicks over Philadelphia Union. The 5-Stripes will travel to the west coast to take on Gareth Bale and it’ll be a late kickoff at 10:30 p.m. ET.
3. The Seattle/Atlanta connection continues
One of the highlights of Atlanta United’s 2022 season was hosting head coach Gonzalo Pineda’s former club Seattle Sounders in early August. Atlanta won that meeting in dramatic fashion, thanks to a gorgeous strike in stoppage time from defender Andrew Gutman. The two clubs have drawn a lot of parallels, and with Garth Lagerwey coming on board this offseason as club president and CEO of Atlanta United there are now even more. The two clubs face off again, but this time Atlanta United makes the trip, their longest in 2023, and plays in Seattle on Sunday, August 20.
4. The inaugural Leagues Cup impacts MLS
There’s a chunk of the schedule between July 15 and August 20 without any MLS matches. But that doesn’t mean that Atlanta United, or other MLS clubs, will be dormant. Instead, they’ll be participating in the first-ever Leagues Cup, a competition that pits MLS clubs against clubs from Liga MX. The Leagues Cup means Atlanta United will hit the pause button on MLS play for about a month to participate in the tournament, a World Cup-style tournament played across the U.S. and Canada beginning July 21. So although there’s a gap in the schedule, there will be plenty of soccer to enjoy.
5. There will be a rematch of the 2018 MLS Cup
The 17s can relive the highest point in the club’s history when Portland Timbers visits Atlanta on March 18. The two clubs played last year (Portland defeated Atlanta United 2-1 at Providence Park). However, in 2023 Atlanta United plays host, which means the setting is the same as the MLS Cup in 2018 when the club took home its first-ever trophy and gave the city its first major sports championship since 1995.
6. The schedule is more consistent
Overall, with the new broadcast partnership with Apple, the 2023 schedule is even more consistent than in years past. 24 of Atlanta’s 34 regular season matches are on Saturday. There are seven midweek matches and only three on Sunday. All of the matches, except for three have a kickoff time at 7:30 p.m. or later. So Saturday evenings is about to be the new time slot to enjoy soccer.
7. The 5-Stripes take a trip to Texas
Atlanta United has six Western Conference clubs on the schedule: San Jose Earthquakes, Portland Timbers, Colorado Rapids, LAFC, Seattle Sounders and FC Dallas. Atlanta United travels to Texas for the final matchup on its schedule against a Western Conference club. The two clubs have met only four times in MLS history, and the series is split evenly at 2-2-0. While some other Texas clubs might get more hype, and more celebrity endorsements, FC Dallas isn’t one to overlook. They finished the 2022 regular season ranked third in the conference and reached the conference semifinals of the Audi 2022 MLS Cup Playoffs.
8. All these matches are on Apple TV… but a few are on FOX too
The new 10-year partnership between MLS and Apple begins in 2023, and supporters with a subscription MLS Season Pass on Apple TV will be able to watch every match on the platform. But that isn’t the only place to find Atlanta United in 2023. A linear broadcasting deal means that five Atlanta United matches will also air on FOX Sports in 2023, the first being Atlanta’s rivalry game against Charlotte FC on March 11.
9. The longest away trip for Atlanta United is back-to-back
With more consistency in the schedule comes fewer extensive road trips. Gone are the days of three-match road trips, like the Toronto/New York/Red Bulls trip in 2022. This season, Atlanta doesn’t have any more than two consecutive road trips on the schedule. Any consecutive road games are back-to-back and only one time does a back-to-back road trip include a midweek match (Saturday, July 8 at CF Montreal followed by Wednesday, July 12 at New England).
10. Atlanta United’s regular season ends in Cincinnati
The regular season finale for Atlanta United is on Decision Day, October 21. And Atlanta’s opponent is a familiar one. Just two seasons ago in 2021, the clubs met on Decision Day and goals from Miles Robinson and Josef Martínez sealed Atlanta United’s appearance in the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs. The clubs will meet again on Decision Day this year with potentially a playoff appearance on the line.
