Atlanta United pulled off another late-minute draw on Wednesday night, tying the match with visiting Chicago Fire FC 2-2 in the 95th minute. An unassisted goal by midfielder Will Reilly, a late substitution, was the defining factor on this night.
The Five Stripes were away from home for over a month and a half, and during that time, hundreds of thousands of music and soccer fans filled the seats inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium. From Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” four-day tour stop to the FIFA Club World Cup matches that brought fans to Atlanta from around the world, The Benz was packed.
On Wednesday night, Atlanta United and manager Ronny Deila were back home to face the Chicago Fire. A few days earlier, Atlanta picked up a point in a 1-1 draw in Toronto. Team captain and longtime goalkeeper Brad Guzan missed that game with an injury, but was back in the starting XI for Wednesday’s match.
Atlanta United striker Emmanuel Latte Lath, coming off a goal-scoring effort in Toronto courtesy of a penalty kick,
Chicago earned a corner within the first minute of the match and was leading Atlanta United 1-0 seconds later. Fire midfielder Philip Zinckernagel’s corner kick found its way through the entire Atlanta defense and into the corner of the net. The Fire earned four corners during the first half. Atlanta United didn’t manage to earn one during the same span.
The Atlanta United supported section, The Gulch, was full-throated and active the entire match. They had been waiting weeks to return to their seats and wasted no time cheering and jeering the good and bad plays on Wednesday night. Chants of “A-T-L” were bouncing off the roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium. More than 38,800 fans were in attendance for the mid-week match.
Chicago was called for two yellow cards during the first half of the match. The Fire were neither pressing nor particularly aggressive, but Atlanta United seemed to be finding a way under their skin late in the first half. However, those opportunities, including a free kick by Miguel Almiron, did not amount to a goal. At halftime, the home team remained behind by a goal. 1-0.
In the absence of defenders Derrick Williams and Stian Gregersen, 21-year-old Decatir native Efrain Morales has been playing a lot more. Morales was arguably the best player on the pitch for Atlanta on Wednesday night.
Alexey Miranchuk’s goal in the 56th minute tied the match at one goal each. The goal was set up by a brilliant run by Bartosz Slisz and an assist from Almiron. The run of play clearly displayed what a team as talented as Atlanta United can do when focused.
Atlanta nearly scored again in the 64th minute when a Latte Lath pass found Almiron near the Chicago goal. The pass was a bit long, but Atlanta United’s creativity and bravery in even trying the pass had been lacking of late. A header from Jamal Thiare, who subbed into the game for Latte Lath in the 71st minute, just barely missed the upper right corner of Chicago’s net in the 75th minute.
On the other hand, Chicago did not miss its next opportunity to take the lead. Fire midfielder Maren Haile-Salassie gave his team the lead in the 79th minute on a quick kick that skittered past a diving Guzan.
