Ahead of their second home match since their return to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta United will debut a second new center back as a starter. First, it was Júnior Alonso, and Sunday night, it'll be Paulo Díaz.
The Chilean addition will start alongside Alonso in central defense as the 5-Stripes take on Sporting Kansas City. The 7 p.m. ET kickoff on Sunday Night Soccer will see head coach Tata Martino's side go for a third consecutive win.
Lucas Hoyos will look to continue his bright form in net, and Tomás Jacob and Elías Báez will hold down the fullback positions.
The midfield and attack carry over from the midweek, with a trio of Adrian Gill, Tristan Muyumba and Cooper Sanchez. Up front, it's Miguel Almirón, Alexey Miranchuk and Fafa Picault.
Almirón and Miranchuk are both gunning for history in the form of assists tonight. The Paraguayan is eyeing Atlanta United's all-time record, and Miranchuk could set a club record for most consecutive matches with an assist.
Here's the full starting XI for Atlanta United vs Sporting Kansas City:
Lucas Hoyos, Tomás Jacob, Júnior Alonso, Paulo Díaz, Elías Báez, Adrian Gill, Tristan Muyumba, Cooper Sanchez, Alexey Miranchuk, Miguel Almirón (C), Fafa Picault
Reserves: Jayden Hibbert, Ronald Hernández, Matt Edwards, Enea Mihaj, Stian Gregersen, Will Reilly, Steven Alzate, Luke Brennan, Sergio Santos
Roster Notes:
-- Paulo Díaz is set to make his first career start with Atlanta United. The center back was signed in July and will get his first nod in the starting XI in front of the 17s at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
-- Miguel Almirón captains the 5-Stripes on the verge of making club history. He assisted Atlanta United's winning goal over the weekend to tie the club's all-time assists record. He and Brooks Lennon have 41.
-- Alexey Miranchuk has recorded an assist in four consecutive games, tied for the longest streak in club history (Hector Villalba in 2018).
-- Adrian Gill will make the start for his third consecutive match with Atlanta United after debuting last Saturday night. The 20-year-old American completed 41-of-43 pass attempts against Red Bull New York.
-- Tristan Muyumba starts in rare form, having scored a goal in each of his last three matches. Before this run, the French midfielder had three goals in his Atlanta United career.
-- Atlanta has a 2-1-1 (W-L-D) record all-time against Sporting Kansas City in MLS competition, making this just their fifth meeting all-time in league play.
