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Match recap: Atlanta United defeated by defining Inter Miami moments

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1 week ago

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Atlanta United’s first 45 minutes was a period to be proud of, and it looked like they would head into the break against second place Inter Miami with the score tied. But Germán Berterame headed one home with one of the final touches of the first half, sending the match on an entirely different trajectory.

Lionel Messi did the rest, scoring two second half goals to bury the match. A late penalty kick wasn’t enough to generate a comeback, and the 5-Stripes fell 3-1 to second place Miami in a deflating result.

What happened

Cautiously, the two sides began proceedings exchanging periods of possession. Miguel Almirón slipped behind the Inter Miami backline for the first chance of the game, squaring the ball to Breel Embolo for a shot that was blocked.

The 5-Stripes were defensively sound through the first 20 minutes, but the visitors weren’t giving much space either. The result was a slow, calculated match waiting for an individual to unlock it. It was just the sixth time all season that Inter Miami did not attempt a shot in the first 20 minutes of a match.

Almirón was searching, and Atlanta United’s left side was the catalyst for early attacking movements. Embolo was also a crucial hold-up player, backing down defenders, playing connecting passes and drawing fouls.

Lucas Hoyos stood strong on a Lionel Messi free kick from the far right side, punching the ball for a save that started a counterattack for the 5-Stripes in the 41st minute. The ensuing corner fell to Alexey Miranchuk, but the ball hit his hand to stop the attack.

Inter Miami took the lead in the 45th minute after Luis Suárez lofted a ball to the back post. Germán Berterame headed it home, the last touch of the first half. The 5-Stripes had worked and worked to find something, but it was the Herons that took a 1-0 advantage into the break.

Atlanta United got their best chance of the night in the 51st minute when a rogue pass led to a quick break. Embolo found Almirón one-on-one with Dayne St. Clair, who made an unbelievable reaction save with his right leg to deny Atlanta an equalizer.

Messi made a moment all by himself in the 55th minute, and it was 2 for Inter Miami. The league-leading goalscorer cut through defenders, played a couple of one-twos with Berterame, faked a shot and put the ball comfortably past Hoyos to double his team’s lead.

Four minutes later, it was the Argentine number 10 to do it again. Inter Miami broke away on the counter from an outside-the-boot pass from Suárez, giving Messi space to run. He dribbled past one defender and dinked the ball into the right side of the net for 3-0.

Atlanta United pushed for a response over the next 10 minutes. In the 69th, it looked as if Miami won a penalty kick from a handball inside the box, but video review ruled the play back for a foul.

The remainder of the match saw Atlanta United push up very high to try and get one back, allowing Miami plenty of space to counterattack.

Matt Edwards stung a strike in the 86th minute that hit the post but bounced back out and away from harm. The 5-Stripes kept going, and substitute Fafa Picault earned a penalty kick against his former team in the 88th minute. His strike was hard and low, and St. Clair’s glove couldn’t deny it.

The 5-Stripes jumped out after their goal but didn’t get another to make the final minutes stressful for the visitors, falling 3-1.

Up next

Atlanta United stays in town, welcoming Chicago Fire to Mercedes-Benz Stadium Saturday, October 24. The club will celebrate its Pride Night as the 5-Stripes go for a win against a fellow Eastern Conference foe.

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Match recap: Unforced errors cost Atlanta United in loss to Chicago Fire

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3 days ago

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October 24, 2026

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Against the top teams in the conference, a mistake-free match isn’t a nice-to-have but an imperative for success. The 5-Stripes created and converted on the attacking end twice, but a pair of defensive miscues in the second half were costly enough to decide the match. Atlanta United fell 3-2 to Chicago Fire in their penultimate home match of the 2026 season.

What happened

The 5-Stripes jumped out the gate with purpose, pushing forward on the right side with Tomás Jacob overlapping attackers. He was to thank for the earliest goal of Atlanta United’s season, finding room on the right side of the box from a keen through ball from Miguel Almirón. The Paraguayan had picked the ball up from midfield and dribbled all the way to the edge of the box before dishing it across to Jacob, who finished with power past Chris Brady in the 4th minute.

Chicago tried their hand at possession to settle into the match, but Atlanta United were chaotic in defense and eager to win the ball back. That early energy dissipated as the visitors kept pressing, and the Fire jumped out to

Philip Zinckernagel hit the crossbar on a rogue attempt from the left side of the box in the 25th minute that Lucas Hoyos may have gotten a touch on. Chicago did eventually find an equalizer in the 30th minute. The ball fell outside the box after a corner kick, and a crisp strike on the half volley from Anton Salétros snuck through defenders and past Hoyos.

Paulo Díaz had to make a sliding stop to prevent a possible second for Chicago in the 32nd minute, putting his body on the line to block a shot inside the box.

Breel Embolo had a great look saved by Brady in the 35th minute, as Mauricio Amaro did some lovely work to get the ball into a dangerous area. His cross was driven low, and the Swiss forward struck the ball cleanly but right at the Chicago keeper. The U.S. international picked up an injury making the save, though he carried on.

The 5-Stripes finished out the half with vigor, and Embolo scored a goal in what would eventually be ruled an offside run by Jacob before playing the cross to his forward. Things were starting to heat up just as the referee blew the whistle for halftime.

Chicago missed an open net on the first real chance of the second half, as Maren Haile-Selassie skied a chance with no one in goal. A minute later, the 5-Stripes gifted them a second goal. Substitute Anzor Mekvabishvili turned in a simple finish after winning a tackle and intercepting a routine pass at the back from Hoyos, leaving the 5-Stripes with a frustrating 2-1 deficit.

Atlanta United surrendered an indirect free kick in the 57th minute when Hoyos picked up a back pass from Elías Báez. It left Chicago with a rare free kick inside of the 6-yard box, which after a flurry of whistle restarts for players jumping too early, they dispatched for 3-1. Zinckernagel was the man to roof the ball into the net.

The 5-Stripes got one back 10 minutes later in the 67th when Breel Embolo thumped a header past Brady. Báez put in a whipped cross to the forward, whose header was pure to bring Atlanta United back into the match.

Atlanta’s striker broke away in the 70th minute and missed a golden opportunity to level the scoring. Embolo ran onto a deep clearance and got one-on-one with the keeper. but couldn’t wrap his foot around the ball. He missed the frame of the goal wide right.

So it was the hosts pressing for an equalizer down the stretch, playing a daring high line and going for points they desperately needed. They got five minutes of stoppage time to pull it off, but Chicago’s low-block defending was enough to finish off the match, and the 5-Stripes lost 3-2.

Standouts

  • Miguel Almirón continued his bright post-World-Cup form with another goal contribution, an assist where he brought the ball from midfield and ushered it to Tomás Jacob for the first goal. It was Almirón’s 15th MLS match with multiple chances created since the break, tying him with Carles Gil for most such by any MLS player in that time.

Milestones

  • Miguel Almirón became Atlanta United’s outright leader in assists on the season with 8.
  • Mauricio Amaro picked up his first two assists with the 5-Stripes with a secondary assist on both of the goals.

Up next

Atlanta United hits the road for a midweek match against New York City FC. They’ll need to pick up points to stay alive in the playoff race. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET Wednesday, October 28 at Citi Field in Queens.

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