ATHENS, Ga. (March 15, 2026) - Atlanta United 2 earned a 4-1 victory over Huntsville City FC on Sunday at Turner Soccer Complex. Cameron Dunbar tallied two assists, while Liam Butts scored his first two goals for ATL UTD 2 - his 19th and 20th goals in his MLS NEXT Pro career.
It was Huntsville who would open the scoring early on. In the 14th minute, left back Leo Christiano, who was positioned at the top of the Atlanta box, was the recipient of a spinning ball that was deflected off Toto Majub after he blocked a shot from left winger Shakur Mohammed. Christiano then wrapped a right-footed curling shot that crept past Jonathan Ransom and into the far corner, giving Huntsville a 1-0 lead.
Atlanta’s response came quickly. In the 26th minute, Adrian Gill started the move when he beat his defender on the right flank by deftly lifting the ball over him. He then ran into the box from the byline before squaring a pass centrally, where Dunbar got a crucial touch to send it forward to Butts, who was standing just inches away from the Huntsville goal to tap it in at the near post for the equalizer.
The 5-Stripes continued mounting pressure in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Dominik Chong Qui played a line-breaking ball that found the feet of Butts, who was brought down by left back Thomas Williams in the box for an ATL UTD 2 penalty. However, the ensuing effort from Santiago Pita was saved by goalkeeper Will Mackay.
The breakthrough was not far away. Just five minutes later, Chong Qui intercepted the ball in the middle of the Huntsville defensive third and laid off a pass to Luke Brennan. Brennan then took a few touches to find space before firing a strong right-footed effort from just outside the box that slotted in the net past a diving Mackay, giving ATL UTD 2 the lead.
By the 62nd minute, Atlanta was controlling the tempo. Dunbar received a pass from Chong Qui to the left side of the box, where he quickly spotted Butts making a run to the back post and fired a cross. Butts, who tapped it into an open net, extended Atlanta’s lead to 3-1 with his second goal of the night.
In the 86th minute, Arif Kovac and Enzo Dovlo were set free on a breakaway with just one Huntsville defender to beat. Kovac, who received the pass and took on the defender, quickly found Dovlo making a parallel run into space. Dovlo, with only the keeper to beat, calmly slotted the ball past Mackay at the near post to secure an ATL UTD 2 victory.
Atlanta United 2 (2-0-1, 7 points) returns to action Sunday, March 22, when it travels to North Carolina to face Crown Legacy FC at Sportsplex at Matthews (7 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com, OneFootball App, Soccer Down Here).
