Continuity. It's something Atlanta United needed more of last season and something they can now say they're exhibiting in the early days of the 2026 campaign. Head coach Tata Martino's starting XI for matchday 2 is the exact same as matchday 1. With just one change on the reserves, the 5-Stripes are establishing consistency as they put the final touches on their preparation for San Jose Earthquakes.
Lucas Hoyos, Elías Báez and Tomás Jacob, the three debutants from last week, return to the lineup to build on their initial performances. The center back pairing of Enea Mihaj and Juan Berrocal and full back Ronald Hernández round out the defense alongside Báez, a unit that held its own for the majority of the first match before conceding two late goals.
Jacob's role in defensive midfield sometimes sees him morphing into a fullback to make outside runs, or a center back to control the ball in possession, or anywhere else he needs to be. The Argentinian's versatility will continue to be an asset for Martino and his side.
Rounding out the midfield is Steven Alzate and Cooper Sanchez. The two provide balanced midfield skillsets and confidence pinging the ball forward to the attackers. Sanchez, who spoke at media availability this week, says the next step for him is turning those balls forward into assists and finding goalscoring chances of his own.
Up front is the same leading line of Miguel Almirón, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Saba Lobjanidze. They'll be responsible for finishing off attacking movements that the 5-Stripes have been drilling this week in training, and they could be primed for a big night. San Jose conceded 63 goals last season, third-worst in the Western Conference.
Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United at San Jose Earthquakes:
Lucas Hoyos, Ronald Hernández, Juan Berrocal, Enea Mihaj, Elías Báez, Tomás Jacob, Steven Alzate, Cooper Sanchez, Saba Lobjanidze, Miguel Almirón (C), Emmanuel Latte Lath
Reserves: Jayden Hibbert, Stian Gregersen, Pedro Amador, Matt Edwards, Tristan Muyumba, Adrian Gill, Alexey Miranchuk, Luke Brennan, Cayman Togashi
Roster Notes:
-- Atlanta United is preparing to start the same XI of players as matchday 1. The 5-Stripes named the same XI in consecutive league matches only once all season last year September 20-27.
-- Cooper Sanchez starts for a second consecutive match. The Homegrown midfielder became the youngest Atlanta United player to start a season opener in club history Feb. 21 when he featured in the midfielder against FC Cincinnati.
-- The 5-Stripes had two players with more than 90% passing completion in their season opener. Steven Alzate and Juan Berrocal were both above the mark, two players brought in during the Secondary Transfer Window last summer.
-- Alexey Miranchuk will begin on the bench for 5-Stripes for the second time this season. He played 17 minutes off the bench against FC Cincinnati and may be in line for more this time out. He expressed his comfort level in media availability this week, saying he's feeling healthy after dealing with an injury in the preseason.
-- Atlanta United will face San Jose Earthquakes for just the fifth time in their history. The 5-Stripes are 4-0-0 in those matches.
-- The last time Atlanta United played away at San Jose, in September 2018, was one of the most memorable matches in club history. Josef Martínez's 95th minute goal capped off a comeback and a 4-3 win for the 5-Stripes.
