ATL Standard

Atlanta United earned three points after beating regional rival Charlotte FC 1-0 at Bank of America Stadium on September 1, 2024. Coming off a trip to Carson, California to face the Los Angeles Galaxy, Atlanta United were back on the road against their regional foes, Charlotte FC. The road teams in these matchups often rise to the occasion. Back in June, Charlotte walked away with a 3-2 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta’s last win against Charlotte came at Bank of America Stadium in March of 2023.

Atlanta United secured a much-needed three points on the road with a 1-0 victory. Homegrown player Jay Fortune scored his first goal for Atlanta United. This marks their third road win and eighth win of the season.

The game remained scoreless until the second half, mirroring Atlanta’s previous match against the Galaxy. After several chances in the first half and early minutes of the second half—many saved by Charlotte's keeper Kristijan Kahlina—the breakthrough came in the 59th minute.

Jay Fortune scored following a sequence involving Brooks Lennon and Xande Silva. "Jay’s ability to break on the dribble helped that but there were other players, without touching it, helped in that movement in the buildup to the goal," said interim head coach Rob Valentino post-game. "So I was happy that I felt like it was a real team goal and Jay gets all the credit for the finish; it was a fantastic finish."

Alexey Miranchuk's vision was evident throughout this match. Acquired during the secondary transfer window from Atalanta BC of Italy’s Serie A, Miranchuk has been instrumental in creating scoring opportunities for himself and his teammates. His impressive resume includes winning the 2023-24 Europa League with Atalanta.

In this match, many of Atlanta's best chances involved Miranchuk. In one instance during the 13th minute, his shot from inside the box went over the net. He also assisted Saba Lobjanidze twice; one notable attempt required an exceptional save from Kahlina to keep Charlotte level.

"It was fantastic," Valentino said about integrating Miranchuk into the team quickly. "He’s going to help us a lot down the stretch." Despite joining mid-season, Miranchuk played strongly for all 90 minutes in his first start.

Goalkeepers Brad Guzan and Kristijan Kahlina both had strong performances but shone at different times during the match. In particular, Guzan made several crucial saves late in the game as Charlotte pressed for an equalizer.

“It was a good result," Guzan remarked post-match. "There are times when we had to suffer... we had to defend... do a lot of dirty work tonight."

Looking ahead, Atlanta United will play their next two matches at home at Mercedes-Benz Stadium: against Nashville SC on September 14 and Inter Miami FC on September 18.