CHESTER, Pa. (May 23, 2026) - Atlanta United 2 fell 2-1 to Philadelphia Union II on Saturday at Kinetic Field in Chester. Arif Kovac scored his sixth goal across his previous two matches. Atlanta will return home after a two week break on June 6.
Just five minutes into the match, Atlanta capitalized on a Philadelphia error. Arif Kovac, who was chasing a long pass played by Mohamed Cisset from the Atlanta half, applied pressure on Philadelphia goalkeeper George Marks as he attempted to collect the ball. Marks, sensing danger in the area, failed to secure the ball in his arms, leaving Kovac through on goal to apply the finish into an empty net.
In the 36th minute, Jonathan Ransom made a strong save to maintain the Atlanta lead. Philadelphia striker Edward Davis, who had the ball at his feet just inches from goal, fired a tight-angle shot that flashed across the goal line. The ensuing loose ball was then struck by Philadelphia midfielder Nehan Hasan, who was standing on the other side of the box. However, Ransom, traveling quickly from his near post to his far post, made a reaction save to keep Philadelphia out.
Atlanta, continuing its momentum from the first 35 minutes of the half, controlled possession and prevented any further chances from the Philadelphia attack in the final 10 minutes, seeing out its 1-0 lead.
Three minutes into the second half, Philadelphia equalized against the run of play. Midfielder Willyam Ferreira whipped a cross from a free kick just outside of the box that found the head of midfielder Matheus De Paula. Ransom, saving the initial effort, spilled the rebound back to the feet of De Paula, who was then able to tuck a close-range effort into the bottom-right corner of the net to tie the match at one all.
In the 83rd minute of a quiet second half, Philadelphia took the lead. Ferreira, dribbling down the center of the pitch, found left back Jordan Griffin making an overlapping run into the left side of the box. Griffin then laid a central pass off to striker Theo Reed, who struck the ball first time with his left foot and guided it past Ransom to give his side a late 2-1 advantage.
In the 92nd minute, Atlanta nearly salvaged a draw. Moises Tablante, taking a corner from the right side, floated an accurate cross into the box that met the head of Daniel Chica. The ball glanced quickly off Chica’s head and appeared to be destined for the back of the net, but Philadelphia center back Rafael Uzcategui was able to match it with a header of his own and clear the ball off the line, securing the home side’s victory.
Atlanta United 2 (6-4-1, 19 points) returns to action Saturday, June 6, when it returns home to face Chicago Fire II at Turner Soccer Complex (7 p.m. ET, MLSNEXTPro.com, OneFootball App, Soccer Down Here).
