Atlanta United fell to New York Red Bulls 1-0 in its opening match of the MLS is Back Tournament at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports. Although Atlanta controlled play throughout the game with a 14-4 shooting advantage, it couldn’t find an equalizer late in the match despite piling on pressure. The club will continue group play Thursday, July 16 against FC Cincinnati.
Florian Valot opened the scoring in the fourth minute, capitalizing off a slow-building counterattack. Kaku played Valot through just past midfield, where Valot was alone with only Guzan in front of him. After a few touches, Valot dribbled just inside the box and slotted into the left corner to give New York an early lead.