Atlanta United will face Columbus Crew at Mercedes-Benz Stadium as the team seeks to secure a playoff position. The match, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET, marks Atlanta’s first home game in September.
Miguel Almirón returns to the lineup after participating with Paraguay’s national team during their successful qualification campaign for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. He will captain Atlanta United and play in the No. 10 role. Alexey Miranchuk, recently back from international duty, is listed among the substitutes for head coach Ronny Deila’s squad.
Jayden Hibbert remains in goal following his call-up to the Canadian National Team over the international break. Hibbert has recorded two consecutive clean sheets in his last club matches.
The defensive line features Ronald Hernández and Pedro Amador on the flanks with Enea Mihaj and Stian Gregersen in central positions, continuing an unchanged backline from Atlanta’s previous match against Nashville SC.
Steven Alzate starts as defensive midfielder due to Bartosz Slisz’s suspension for yellow-card accumulation. Tristan Muyumba will partner him in midfield, expected to take on a more advanced role.
Luke Brennan and Saba Lobjanidze are set to play on the left and right wings respectively, supporting Jamal Thiaré at striker while Emmanuel Latte Lath recovers from a hamstring injury.
The starting XI for Atlanta United consists of Jayden Hibbert, Ronald Hernández, Stian Gregersen, Enea Mihaj, Pedro Amador, Steven Alzate, Tristan Muyumba, Miguel Almirón (captain), Saba Lobjanidze, Luke Brennan, and Jamal Thiaré. The bench includes Brad Guzan, Brooks Lennon, Nyk Sessock, Juan Berrocal, Will Reilly, Cooper Sanchez, Alexey Miranchuk, Cayman Togashi and Leo Afonso.
Club notes indicate that Miguel Almirón currently has 25 career goals across all competitions with Atlanta United; one more would tie him with Thiago Almada for second place in club history. Jayden Hibbert has not conceded a goal in his last 222 minutes of MLS regular season play since returning from national team duty.
Saba Lobjanidze leads Atlanta United with seven assists this MLS season—eight across all competitions—which matches his personal best achieved twice previously while playing in Turkey’s Süper Lig.
Historically at home against Columbus Crew in MLS competition (https://www.mlssoccer.com/clubs/atlanta-united-fc/schedule/), Atlanta holds a record of four wins, four losses and two draws; they have scored 15 goals compared to Columbus’ 13 during these encounters.
Atlanta enters this fixture having kept clean sheets against Toronto FC and Nashville SC; achieving three consecutive shutouts would be their first such streak since 2019 (https://www.atlutd.com/news/atlanta-united-vs-columbus-crew-how-to-watch-match-preview-september-14-2024).
Bartosz Slisz is unavailable due to yellow-card accumulation while Jay Fortune, Matt Edwards and Emmanuel Latte Lath remain sidelined by injuries per Friday’s club report.
