Atlanta United’s matchup against New York City in Round One of the Audi 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs is scheduled for Sunday Nov. 21 at 3:00 p.m. EST.
The match will be played at Yankee Stadium. NYCFC is the higher seed and has home field advantage.
New York City and Atlanta finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Eastern Conference. Both teams earned 51 points, and NYCFC owned the point tiebreaker over Atlanta with one more regular season win.
Atlanta United clinched a spot in the MLS Cup Playoffs with a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over FC Cincinnati on Decision Day on Nov. 7. Defender Miles Robinson scored his first career MLS goal and striker Josef MartÃnez scored the game-winner in the 79th minute for Atlanta to overcome a second half deficit.
One of the highest climbers in the final month of the season, NYCFC was in eighth place in October when it last played Atlanta. Since then, New York City surged up the standings and on Decision Day clinched home field advantage in Round One with a 1-1 draw with Philadelphia.
In MLS competition, Atlanta United met NYCFC twice in 2021, and both times the teams played each other close. In June, NYCFC beat Atlanta 1-0 at Red Bull Arena thanks to a goal from striker Ismael Tajouri-Shradi in the 69th minute.
The teams faced off again on Oct. 20 and played to a 1-1 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Midfielder Marcelino Moreno scored for Atlanta in the 17th minute. The home team led for most of the match. Then, New York City equalized in the 90th minute on a free kick from midfielder Gudmundur Thórarinsson.
Here are the details for Atlanta United’s first round matchup in the MLS Cup Playoffs:
5-seed Atlanta United vs. 4-seed New York City FC
Date: Sunday November 21, 2021
Time: 3:00 p.m. EST
- NYCFC at home in 2021: 10-3-4
- Atlanta United on the road in 2021: 4-6-7
- Atlanta United’s all-time record against NYCFC: 4-3-3
- New York City boasts the 2021 Golden Boot winner, ValentÃn Castellanos. The Argentinian striker scored 19 goals in the regular season, including the equalizer for NYCFC on Decision Day.
- Atlanta United had two players called up to play for their home countries in November’s World Cup qualifying matches: Robinson for the U.S. and Ronald Hernández for Venezuela. Both are expected back for the matchup against NYCFC.
Next up: The winner advances to face No. 1 seed and Supporters’ Shield champion New England Revolution in the conference semifinals.
Visit atlutd.com/playoffs for the latest news and coverage of the 2021 MLS Cup Playoffs.
