The 5-Stripes have one more opportunity to impress in front the 17s before a near-three month hiatus. Atlanta United will host LA Galaxy at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night with a win streak on the line. A fourth consecutive win heading into their final two matches before the break for international competition would be a monumental source of momentum, but a formidable Galaxy side stands in their way.
Having not played a midweek match for the first time in almost a month, head coach Tata Martino and his staff didn't have to worry too much about fitness. The starting XI features just two changes from the side that began the 3-1 win against CF Montréal last Saturday. It's just the first time in the last five matches with that few changes.
Elías Báez and Juan Berrocal are those two changes. The backline has been sured up over the win streak, even with rotation over the course of the matches. Atlanta United has conceded just 2 goals in their last 270 minutes. Joining Báez and Berrocal is Stian Gregersen, Tomás Jacob and Lucas Hoyos, who starts in goal. They'll have to work as a unit against an LA Galaxy attack with talent all over.
The midfield remains the exact same as last weekend, with Tristan Muyumba in the No. 6 position and Cooper Sanchez and Matías Galarza ahead of him. Sanchez is fresh off an assist against Montréal and will be another active runner for the 5-Stripes.
Alexey Miranchuk captains in Miguel Almirón's absence, and Emmanuel Latte Lath and Saba Lobjanidze get their second consecutive starts. The trio directly contributed to every goal against Montréal and will be eager to repeat their success Saturday night.
Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United vs LA Galaxy:
Lucas Hoyos, Tomás Jacob, Stian Gregersen, Juan Berrocal, Elías Báez, Tristan Muyumba, Cooper Sanchez, Matías Galarza, Saba Lobjanidze, Alexey Miranchuk (C), Emmanuel Latte Lath
Reserves: Jayden Hibbert, Pedro Amador, Matt Edwards, Enea Mihaj, Will Reilly, Jay Fortune, Luke Brennan, Sergio Santos, Cayman Togashi
Roster Notes:
-- Alexey Miranchuk captains the 5-Stripes, fresh off a brace of assists against CF Montréal May 2. The forward has a team-high 8 goal contributions this season across all competitions.
-- Both Miranchuk and Saba Lobjanidze are on 17 goals in all competitions for Atlanta United. Only six players in club history have reached 20 goals or more.
-- Lobjanidze earned MLS Team of Matchday 11 honors after scoring a brace in the 3-1 win vs. Montreal. Miranchuk was named to the bench.
-- Cooper Sanchez starts his 11th match of the MLS regular season. The Homegrown became just the second Atlanta United player to record multiple MLS assists before the age of 19 and also scored his first career goal for the First Team in the Open Cup win at Charlotte April 28.
-- Atlanta United and LA Galaxy have played five times in their history, with no draws between the two sides. The 5-Stripes have won 3 of those matchups, 2 of them being at home.
-- Miguel Almirón was not selected to the matchday squad as he continues recovering from a knee injury. The forward was listed as questionable on Friday's availability report.
