ATL Standard

Atlanta United and the Philadelphia Union played to a 1-1 draw at Subaru Park. This result helped Atlanta earn their first point at the venue since 2018. Both teams aimed to boost their playoff chances with this match.

"We’ll see. We’ve got a home game now against Montréal and that’s one that we have to win. I’ve talked to them about this stage is about winning games," said interim head coach Rob Valentino. "I think that point, in the end, well we’ll see at the end where we’re at. But I think it’s going to be massive. I always want three, and there were chances there maybe to go and take it."

The game was significant for both teams' playoff hopes. The Philadelphia Union entered the match ninth in the Eastern Conference with 36 points, while Atlanta was eleventh with 33 points.

Earlier this season, Daniel Ríos and Caleb Wiley scored for Atlanta, but Philadelphia equalized with two goals in four minutes during their previous meeting.

Philadelphia's recent form saw them outscoring opponents 9-1 in two matches. Atlanta aimed to disrupt Philadelphia's momentum by controlling possession and passing side-to-side.

In the last 15 minutes of the first half, Atlanta began countering Philadelphia's physical play effectively despite having less possession.

Saba Lobjanidze scored Atlanta's equalizer following a sequence involving Bartosz Slisz, Daniel Rios, and Brooks Lennon. This goal marked Lobjanidze’s eighth of the season.

Philadelphia had two goals disallowed for offside before Nathan Harriel scored in the 61st minute after a shot by Jack McGlynn was stopped by Tyler Wolff.

"That being said, if you’re being a realist, 1-1 is probably a fair result," said Brad Guzan. "I don’t know if we deserve three but at this point whether you deserve it or not, I’d much rather take three than one.”

Under interim head coach Rob Valentino, Atlanta has adopted a more direct style of play which has shown effectiveness against physical teams like New York Red Bulls and Philadelphia Union despite lower possession stats.

Atlanta United has three matches left in their regular season: October 2 against CF Montréal, October 5 against New York Red Bulls at home, and they will finish on October 19 away against Orlando City SC.