Atlanta United earns a point on the road in 1-1 draw against St. Louis CITY SC

Atlanta United finishes its doubleheader on the road by earning four points from a possible six. After a 1-0 win over DC United, they came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against St. Louis CITY SC. It was the first time that these two clubs faced each other.

Much like St. Louis, Atlanta United was shorthanded for this game. Luis Abram, Saba Lobjanidze and Bartosz Slisz are currently away from the club on international duty with their home countries. Thiago Almada was unavailable due to the accumulation of yellow cards. It took some heroics from Daniel Ríos, as well as the mobilization of the players, for Atlanta United to come away with a draw.

“I talk to them a lot about how to block out the noise on the road,” interim head coach Rob Valentino said in the postgame press conference. “The only noise that matters is in our own heads and in our own four walls. This persistence will save them a lot in the long run. I’m proud that they fought. I wish I was on the other side, but it’s important.”

Off a saved corner, Saint-Louis’ João Klauss had the first good scoring chance between the two teams, but his shot from the center of the area hit the crossbar. Atlanta United quickly had chances of their own after that. In the 11^th minute of the match, Ríos’ attempt was stopped by Roman Bürki. The St. Louis keeper was named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year in 2023 – CITY SC’s inaugural year in MLS.

Derrick Williams blocked Thorisson’s shot from the left side of the box in the 18th^th minute. Since returning from an injury that kept him sidelined for weeks, Williams has been a vital part of Atlanta’s defense. The 5 bands began to intensify their offensive pressure as time went on in the first half. The country’s Jay Fortune and Xande Silva both looked good which Bürki stopped in the 28th^th and 29^th minutes of the match.

After a few chances for both teams, the match took a turn in the 39th^th minute, when it appeared that St. Louis had scored the first goal of the game. That was until the on-field referees overturned the goal as Klauss indicted Guzan’s ability to make the save. Shortly afterwards, the league’s Video Assistant Referee (VAR) stepped in to check the play himself. After a few minutes of deliberation, it was finally announced that there had been no foul. offside, but the goal would still not stand due to an unreported foul earlier in the race before the goal was scored. Before returning to the field with the ball, Eduard Lowen collided with Tristan Muyumba.

Due to the time needed for VAR to make its own assessment, as well as the cool-down break, nine minutes of stoppage time were added. Jamal Thiare has a chance for the 5 Bands in the last minutes of the first half.

Atlanta United finished the first half with 56% possession and six shots, including three on goal.