We're just 60 minutes away from the most highly anticipated reunion in Atlanta United history, and the buzz inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium is palpable.
Miguel Almirón appears in the starting XI for Atlanta United's home opener, kicking off his anticipated return to the pitch wearing the 5-Stripes. As a member of the original roster and 2018 MLS Cup championship squad here in Atlanta, Miggy is a beloved and well-known figure in the city. After six seasons away, playing in the English Premiere League, Miggy is bound to get a warm reception when he walks out of the tunnel in just under an hour.
Joining Almirón in the starting XI is another designated player who signed with the club this offseason: Emmanuel Latte Lath starts up top for Atlanta. The center forward asked if he could start playing when he toured Mercedes-Benz Stadium earlier in February. Now, he gets his chance from the opening kick.
Matt Edwards and Ronald Hernández start on the backline, which is the fullback pairing we expected with Brooks Lennon and Pedro Amador ruled out. This is a big day for Edwards. He starts his first-ever MLS match just days after turning 22 years old.
Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United against CF Montréal:
Brad Guzan (C), Ronald Hernández, Luis Abram, Stian Gregersen, Matt Edwards, Mateusz Klich, Bartosz Slisz, Saba Lobjanidze, Alexey Miranchuk, Miguel Almirón, Emmanuel Latte Lath
Reserves: Josh Cohen, Dominik Chong Qui, Noah Cobb, Jay Fortune, Edwin Mosquera, Tristan Muyumba, Xande Silva, Jamal Thiaré, Derrick Williams
Match Notes:
-- This marks the debut of head coach Ronny Deila. It's also his return to Major League Soccer. The Norwegian manager previously coached for New York City FC, where he won the 2021 MLS Cup.
-- With his start, Brad Guzan will be making his 200th regular season appearance. No other player has reached that mark in Atlanta United history, so it's another major milestone for Atlanta's big, bald wall.
-- Almirón is sitting on 49 goal contributions in his MLS regular season career. He'll no doubt be looking for No. 50 in his first match back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
-- He's also just two goals shy of becoming No. 2 in scoring in club history.
-- Atlanta United owns the all-time series against CF Montréal, going 7-5-4. These two teams last met in the Wild Card game in the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. After going winless against them in regular season play last year, Atlanta United eliminated Montréal in a high-stakes penalty kick shootout to advance to Round One.
