Atlanta United FC is preparing for its second match of the 2026 Major League Soccer season, traveling to face San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. The team, which began its campaign with a loss to FC Cincinnati, remains focused on development rather than results at this early stage.
Head coach Tata Martino emphasized patience as the squad continues to build chemistry. “We understand being a team early in the season that’s still constructing what we want to do,” Martino said in Spanish after training Thursday. “We’re going to have to have some learning experiences. What we have to do is analyze what happened but also move on and turn the page quickly.”
Martino acknowledged that improvement is needed, particularly in offensive buildup play. “We can improve on our buildup from the last game,” he said. “It was difficult for us to play through when they’re defending and man-marking. We’ve only been training together for about 50 days now, so it’s something we’re going to continue to be working on.”
Players such as Steven Alzate and Tomás Jacob are expected to contribute creatively from midfield, while forward Alexey Miranchuk reported full fitness ahead of the San Jose match after coming off the bench against Cincinnati. Miranchuk noted the importance of movement in attack: “In the attacking third or buildup, [Tata] wants us not to be static but moving around,” he said. “We need to not just play one against one against defenders. We need to move to make them think.” He added: “We need to be aggressive, and we need to hurt them [when] we get the chance.”
The team’s development is also supported by experienced players like goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos and young talents such as Cooper Sanchez, who recently became Atlanta’s youngest player ever to start a season opener. Sanchez expressed confidence following his debut: “I felt ready going into the game, just expressing myself and showing what kind of player I am.” He continued: “I want to be a key contributor to the team… [the goal is to continue] getting used to each other, learning a new style of play and starting to get wins and adding goals and assists.”
Hoyos described his role as helping younger teammates adapt: “Accompanying the kids, whether it’s [helping] the other goalkeepers or the youngest players at the club, it’s my intention,” he said in Spanish Tuesday. “… My place is always going to be to contribute what they need of me.”
The availability report for Atlanta United remains unchanged since their previous fixture; Dominik Chong Qui (knee), Jay Fortune (foot surgery recovery), and Will Reilly (hamstring) are all unavailable.
Saturday’s meeting will mark Atlanta United’s first Western Conference opponent this year. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET as Atlanta seeks its first points of 2026 against San Jose—a team it has never lost against in four previous meetings.
Their most recent encounter was a 2-1 win for Atlanta United in 2023 thanks largely to two stoppage-time goals by Thiago Almada. Another memorable clash occurred in 2018 when Atlanta came back from a two-goal deficit for a dramatic 4-3 victory.
San Jose may introduce new signing Timo Werner into their lineup; however, they enter this match without last season’s top scorers Josef Martínez and Cristian Arango—both departed during offseason moves.
San Jose head coach Bruce Arena brings significant experience with five MLS Cup titles. Martino commented on facing Arena’s side: “Now we’re facing a team in a different roster build [than Cincinnati] but with a coach who has a lot of experience in this league,” he said. “We’ve been working on ways to try and take the game to where we feel like we have the most advantages.”
Atlanta United FC operates out of Atlanta, Georgia according to the official website and competes as an Eastern Conference club in Major League Soccer. The club won major trophies including MLS Cup (2018), U.S Open Cup (2019), and Campeones Cup (2019) as noted by official records.
