CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In front of 51,002 fans on the road, Atlanta United managed to go scoreless during a 2-0 loss a week after scoring three goals at home. The Charlotte fans chanted, “FC Charlotte, FC Charlotte” as the five minutes of extra time ticked off the clock.
Following the match, Atlanta manager Rony Deila said, “We will come back again and bounce back.”
Atlanta has conceded four games in two matches this season.
The second match of Atlanta United’s 2025 season took place in North Carolina on Saturday, Mar. 1. Atlanta United (now 1-1 overall) and Charlotte FC (now 1-1) came into Saturday’s rivalry match on different notes. Last weekend, Atlanta won its season opener/home opener over CF Montreal 3-2, while Charlotte drew 2-2 on the road in Seattle.
Atlanta was without Ronald Hernandez, who was out with a quad injury, and starting midfielder Mateusz Klich, who was out with flu-like symptoms. Klich, who made the trip north to Charlotte, was replaced in the starting lineup by Ajani Fortune, who played the entire 90 minutes.
Asked about Fortune playing the entire match while also making his season debut, Deila said, “I think he did OK. The first half was OK. I believe in Jay and I think he can be a very good player.”
Fellow defender Matt Edwards made his first career start against CF Montreal last week and started again on Saturday afternoon in Charlotte. Dominik Chong Qui, who recently signed a short-term agreement with the big club after spending time with Atlanta United 2 the past year, traveled with the team to Charlotte.
Chong Qui, 17, made his Atlanta United debut in the 88th minute, subbing in for Williams. He is the third youngest player in club history.
The matchup between Stian Gregersen and Charlotte center forward Patrick Agyemang got started early in the match. Agyemang scored one of Charlotte’s two goals in Seattle a week earlier. During the first half, Gregersen made two huge blocks on what were clear Charlotte shots at the Atlanta goal.
Photo by Donnell Suggs/The Atlanta United
Miguel Almiron took Atlanta’s first solid shot at the Charlotte goal in the 17th minute. The shot was blocked by Charlotte’s stalwart goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina. There were several opportunities where Almiron found his way into space but couldn’t get the ball from either Saba Lobjanidze or Bartosz Slisz, or had his shot attempt blocked before it even got away from his foot, including in the 43rd minute. The same could be said for Emmanuel Latte Lath, Atlanta’s leading goal scorer after his brace against CF Montreal.
The first half ended with both teams failing to score a goal, but Atlanta with a clear advantage in terms of shots-on-goal and time of possession.
The second half began with Charlotte striking first on a goal from Pep Biel with an assist from Wilfred Zaha. The designated player for Charlotte, Zaha was playing his first match for Charlotte after being away in England for the birth of his daughter.
Zaha would score his first goal of the season a few minutes later when a Brad Guzan save off a Biel shot rebounded Zaya’s way in the 54th minute.
Alexey Miranchuk’s shot in the 68th minute went over the Charlotte goal. It was the closest Atlanta got to scoring during the second half.
Atlanta United manager made a mass substitution in the 72nd minute of the match. Four players, Edwin Mosquera, Tristan Muyumba, Jamal Thiare, and Xande Silva entered the game with Atlanta behind by a pair of goals.
March Madness: Atlanta will host New York Red Bull (Sat., Mar. 8, 7:30 p.m.), Miami (Sun., March 16, 7 p.m.), and New York City FC (Sat., March 29, 7:30 p.m.) in March. Add to that a road match in Cincinnati on Sat., March 22 (2:30 p.m.) and it’s a busy month of March for the Five Stripes.
