They shrieked and they cheered as the celebratory train whistle echoed through Mercedes-Benz Stadium and that rarest of words — WIIIIN — marched around the stadium’s halo screen in 58-foot-high letters. The faces of the Atlanta United fans were slick with a mix of sweat and beer and confetti and tears. They weren’t just celebrating a 2-0 victory over the Portland Timbers in the 2018 MLS Cup. They were dancing into an exorcism, reveling in the joy that, for once, Atlanta didn’t blow a damn lead in a championship game.
Let’s run down how we got to this point, shall we?