Atlanta United returns to MLS competition with a matchup against Inter Miami CF at DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday, April 24. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. ET.
The club is coming off its first mid-week match of the season. On Wednesday, Atlanta United defeated Chattanooga FC 6-0 at Fifth Third Bank Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga. Striker Dom Dwyer scored a brace. Ronald Hernández, Marcelino Moreno, Luiz Araújo, and Brooks Lennon also scored goals.
The result sent Atlanta United into the Round of 32. For its next U.S. Open Cup matchup, Atlanta will face another MLS club: Nashville SC on May 11. Atlanta United has three more matches in MLS before then. Up first, Inter Miami this weekend.
The two clubs meet after both won to advance in Open Cup competition. With a 1-0 win over Miami FC, Inter Miami continued the success it’s found as of late. The team has won two straight in MLS and scored three goals against New England Revolution.
Meanwhile, this week Atlanta United finally found the clinical finishing touch it's been looking for. After failing to find the back of the net the previous two matches, the six-goal performance on Wednesday was a confidence boost for the team heading back into MLS play.
“We just haven’t been clinical enough in the final third, so last game against Chattanooga, we really wanted to try to break that dynamic to be able to finish,” Hernández said. “So we were able to do that, and coach is always confident.”
Matchday Conditions
The conditions in Florida are expected to be warm, similar to the warm front going through Atlanta at the end of the week. The weather at kickoff on Sunday is forecasted to be around sunny with a high of 81 degrees.
With that in mind, Atlanta United’s game plan will be to try and control possession and force Inter Miami to run.
“We’re going to go into the game obviously with a hard mentality,” midfielder Amar Sejdić said. “It’s a 1 p.m. game, so we’re expecting it’s going to be hot and humid.”
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About The Opponent
Inter Miami CF is an Eastern Conference club based in South Florida. The club is one of the newer ones to MLS, beginning play in March 2020.
In January 2021, the club announced Phil Neville as head coach. Neville gained most of his coaching experience in England, where he’s from. He had coaching stints as an assistant at Valencia CF and Manchester United. Most recently, he managed the England women’s national team and led the squad to a SheBelieves Cup title in 2019.
"They are very solid, they are very compact,” head coach Gonzalo Pineda said. “They try to make it hard to break them down. And then in transition, they’re very good.”
Series History
Atlanta United and Inter Miami have played each other remarkably even. The all-time record is split, both sides winning twice and playing to a draw three times. All seven meetings have been either draws or decided by one goal. And in those seven meetings, both teams have scored and conceded seven times.
This is the first of two meetings in 2022. Last time out on October 27, 2021, Inter Miami traveled to Mercedes-Benz Stadium and got on the board first thanks to a forward Gonzalo Higuain’s penalty kick in the 32nd minute. Then, Atlanta United climbed back to win 2-1. Araújo scored the equalizer on a direct free kick and Josef Martínez delivered the game-winner in the 73rd minute.
It was Atlanta United’s first comeback victory of the 2021 season. With the performance, Araújo nabbed his first-ever MLS Team of the Week honors.
2022 So Far
The matchup features two clubs on opposite ends of the Eastern Conference table. Atlanta United is 3-2-2 going into Sunday’s match. On the other side, Inter Miami is 2-4-1 with seven points.
However, both clubs are confident. Atlanta United meets Inter Miami in the middle of a hot streak. After losing four in a row earlier this season, Inter Miami picked up six points in back-to-back wins over Seattle and New England. They also added a win over Miami FC in the U.S. Open Cup, giving Miami three wins over the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, Atlanta United is coming off back-to-back clean sheets. On April 16, the club played FC Cincinnati to a 0-0 draw, then followed it up with a resounding 6-0 win over Chattanooga.
“We’re a very confident group,” Sejdić said. “We enjoy playing together, and I think you can see that on the field. We play that second ball and give each other good opportunities to score. We just need to executive more often.”
Inter Miami CF |
Atlanta United |
|
|---|---|---|
Duel Percentage |
51% (10th) |
53% (7th) |
Passing Percentage |
80% (16th) |
83.6% (4th) |
Goals Scored |
7 |
9 |
Assists |
6 |
6 |
Players To Watch
Dom Dwyer – With Martínez out, Dwyer has gotten more opportunities in the attack for Atlanta United. The veteran striker put on a strong performance in the club’s U.S. Open Cup match against Chattanooga FC on April 20. Dwyer scored a brace, netting goals within a 10-minute span, and recorded an assist. Look for Dwyer to continue to be an option up top for Pineda.
Andrew Gutman – Atlanta United’s left fullback has been putting in the minutes so far this season. He’s started all of Atlanta’s matches this season and has played more minutes than anyone else on Atlanta’s roster. Gutman’s also played a full 90 in every one of Atlanta's seven MLS games. Gutman has quickly become a dependable force on the backline and will continue to be a workhorse for the 5-Stripes on Sunday.
Leonardo Campana – In the no. 9 position, Campana has produced for Inter Miami. The 21-year-old from Ecuador has scored four goals in Miami’s last three matches. His hat trick against New England, which included the game-winner in the 88th minute, earned him MLS Player of the Week honors. At 6-foot-2, Campana also poses an aerial threat.
Other Tidbits
- Miami will be without Gregore, the Brazilian midfielder, for the first time this season due to yellow card accumulation.
- Atlanta United will be without goalkeeper Brad Guzan in the starting XI for the first time in MLS play. Including playoffs, Guzan has appeared in 150 of Atlanta’s 177 all-time MLS matches.
- Atlanta United will be wearing the BLVCK kit on Sunday.
It’s a 1:00 p.m. ET kickoff for Inter Miami and Atlanta United on Sunday. Click here to learn all the ways to watch, listen and live stream the match.
