The second half of the 2025 MLS Regular Season begins on Thursday night when Atlanta United heads to Yankee Stadium to take on New York City FC. Following the June international break, Atlanta is looking at five consecutive road matches starting with Thursday’s clash. The 5-Stripes enter the matches eight points out of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. NYCFC sits tied on points with eighth place in the standings, just two points behind the final automatic playoff spot. After picking up two wins in its last three matches, Atlanta needs to find some points in this road stretch to keep pace with the rest of the Eastern Conference. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against New York City FC.
Next man up mentality
This June international break saw 12 Atlanta United players called up for their respective senior and youth national teams. That was the most call ups among all MLS teams in this window. With Atlanta’s match kicking off on Thursday night, it could present a tight turnaround for several of the national team call ups. Atlanta’s squad depth will be tested in this match against NYCFC. It faced a similar challenge earlier in the season when they traveled to Cincinnati and picked up a 2-2 draw.
One of the regular starters Atlanta will count on is Alexey Miranchuk. The midfielder leads the team in key passes with 31 coming into this match. He had a good stretch in the month of May with one goal and four assists. The 5-Stripes need him to carry that form into this match on Thursday to have a chance at three points.
Cut down service to New York’s attack
NYCFC has had an up and down season so far as the club sits in 10th place in the Eastern Conference. The team’s defense has been excellent, conceding only 20 goals in 17 matches so far this season. That defense will be without one of its leaders in goalkeeper Matt Freese who was called up to the U.S. Men’s National Team for the upcoming Gold Cup.
Offensively, the team has relied on two players for most of its scoring. Forward Alonso Martínez leads the team with eight goals, but he will also be missing this match due to Gold Cup call-up from Costa Rica. So the focus for New York shifts to attacking midfielder Hannes Wolf, who has been on a scoring run of form recently with three goals in his last three matches. Atlanta’s defense needs to be aware of Wolf and his quality coming in from the wing. If Atlanta can keep him in check, it will have a chance to earn three valuable road points.
Grab early lead, stay focused for full 90 minutes
Early leads have been few and far between for Atlanta so far this season. They have scored the first goal in just six of their 17 matches . When it has taken a lead into the halftime break, Atlanta is actually undefeated with a 2-0-2 (W-L-T) mark in those matches. An early goal at Yankee Stadium would go a long way to earning a positive result.
It’s also no secret that the first 15 minutes of the second half this season have been Atlanta’s worst period so far. They have conceded 11 goals in that period, five more than in any other 15-minute period of a match. Conversely, NYCFC has scored most of its goals in that same period, between minute 46-60 with eight goals. Atlanta’s defense needs to be focused for the full 90 minutes but especially pay attention to those first 15 minutes after halftime. If the 5-Stripes can jump to an early lead and control that period of play, they will be in a good spot to earn points on the road Thursday night.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. ET when the action kicks off at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
