Sometimes it takes a hero to turn a certain defeat into a sweet victory. That hero came for Atlanta United in the form of Thiago Almada who scored two long-range goals in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win in the season opener against San Jose Earthquakes.
The lineup was very reminiscent of the one used in Atlanta’s preseason games with the difference of Jackson Conway starting at striker to replace an injured Machop Chol. New signings Derrick Etienne Jr, Luis Abram and Miguel Berry were available off the bench and played some minutes in the second half.