Atlanta United was narrowly defeated 1-0 by Los Angeles FC at BMO Stadium on Sunday night. The match remained scoreless for most of the game until Denis Bouanga scored in the 86th minute, handing LAFC the win.
Head coach Ronny Deila made a tactical adjustment to Atlanta’s lineup, choosing a back five that limited LAFC’s chances throughout much of the contest. In the early minutes, Stian Gregersen prevented an opportunity from Bouanga, and goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert made several important saves to keep Atlanta in contention. “The patience of the Atlanta United midfield contributed to helpful spells of possession, but the 5-Stripes weren’t aggressive enough in firing off shots until the final minutes of the first half.”
LAFC continued pressing in the second half, with Atlanta relying on counterattacks led by Alexey Miranchuk, Miguel Almirón and Jamal Thiaré. Hibbert delivered another crucial save in the 56th minute against Mark Delgado. Bartosz Slisz nearly gave Atlanta the lead with a shot that deflected off a defender and struck the post in the 70th minute.
Deila made offensive substitutions late in the match to chase a goal, bringing on Emmanuel Latte Lath and Tristan Muyumba. Muyumba had a chance late but was denied by LAFC goalkeeper Hugo Lloris after an offside call.
Bouanga eventually broke through for LAFC after an initial clearance fell his way near goal. His shot found its way between Hibbert’s legs for what would be the deciding goal.
The result means both Alexey Miranchuk and Miguel Almirón reached their 30th starts of this MLS regular season. Atlanta United will play its last away game against Inter Miami on October 11 at 7:30 p.m. ET; this match had been rescheduled from June.
