Match recap: Atlanta United ends homestand with loss to New England

After taking a lead into the halftime whistle, a second half of missed opportunities and defenses lapses costed Atlanta United. The 5-Stripes fell 2-1 to New England Revolution in a midweek match defined by mere moments. 

What happened

Atlanta United carved out the first chance of the match in the 4th minute when Pedro Amador whipped a well-placed cross to Cooper Sanchez. The midfielder took a first-time shot that went over the bar.  

The 5-Stripes were on it in the early going, stretching New England's defense with wide play from Fafa Picault and Amador on the left side. 

New England thought they took the lead from an absolute scorcher from Alhassan Yusuf. The ball came bouncing out to him at the top of the box, and he took an audacious half volley that kissed the crossbar and went in. There was no chance for Lucas Hoyos in goal, as the visitors appeared to take a 1-0 advantage in the 19th minute. 

But then the video assistant referees told head official Ricardo Montero to pause. On the longshot, a New England Revolution player was standing in an offside position in Hoyos' eyeline. Montero went to the monitor and ruled the goal offsides for obstruction — a rare call that, coincidentally, happened the other way in this fixture last year. Miguel Almirón's longshot was ruled off for the same reason in that 2025 match. 

After the call, Atlanta United jumped on the opportunity in the 38th minute, as Alexey Miranchuk played a ball through to Amador. The left back stuck out a flailing foot and got a great cross on the ball, which fell to Saba Lobjanidze. His shot was saved, but Picault was positioned well at the back post to clean up the chance.​

After a staggering eight minutes of added time due to the stoppage for the VAR review and other breaks, the 5-Stripes had the 1-0 lead at the end of the first 45. 

Coming out of halftime, the 5-Stripes stayed lively through counterattacking movements involving Miranchuk and Lobjanidze. But the Revolution imposed themselves more on the ball, with longer spells of possession in the first 15 minutes. 

Set pieces proved problematic for the visitors, as in the 64th minute, the 5-Stripes flicked on two headers and nearly doubled their advantage. Enea Mihaj had the second one which forced a save from Matt Turner in goal. 

In the 73rd minute, the roles reversed, and New England had the leveler. Will Sands flicked a header from a corner over a couple defenders and Hoyos to tie the match at 1 a piece. 

Saba looked to have broken away in the 77th minute with just the keeper to beat after a half-field sprint. His second-to-last touch was just too far out to his right, and his shot rolled into Turner's hands.

New England had their second in the span of 5 minutes in the 78th, as Peyton Miller snuck behind defenders and turned in a point-blank shot. The cross from Carles Gil was the Revolution captain's second assist of the night. 

Martino acted immediately, bringing on Tristan Muyumba, Cayman Togashi, Luke Brennan and Jay Fortune. Emmanuel Latte Lath entered in the 88th minute, and the substitutes sparked a late kick from the home side. Brennan forced a save with a low-driven shot in the 90th minute.

From the ensuing corner, Atlanta United players appealed for penalty after the ball bounced around in the box, but the call was not made. Turner made another late save, and the visitors saw out the result. 

Standouts

• Pedro Amador made an impact offensively throughout the night, providing width and putting in crosses from all different kinds of angles. His flying kick squared the ball that ultimately resulted in Picault's opening goal.

Milestones

• Fafa Picault scored his first MLS regular season goal with Atlanta United. He became the second player in MLS history to score with seven different teams (PHI, DAL, HOU, NSH, VAN, MIA, ATL).
• Alexey Miranchuk made his 50th MLS regular season appearance for Atlanta United.
• Pedro Amador made his 50th appearance for the 5-Stripes in all competitions.

Next up

Atlanta United will take a trip north of the border to Canada for a match against Toronto FC. The 5-Stripes will kick off against the Eastern Conference side at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 25.