Atlanta United defeated LD Alajuelense 1-0 Tuesday night at Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Leg One of its Round of 16 Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (SCCL) matchup. Despite playing the entire second half with 10 men, Ezequiel Barco scored the club’s first goal of the year to give Atlanta a crucial road win heading into the second leg. The result marked head coach Gabriel Heinze’s first win with the club and it also ended Alajuelense’s 25-match unbeaten streak dating back to November 2020.
Atlanta was reduced to 10 players after goalkeeper Brad Guzan was shown a red card in the 43rd minute for taking down Marcel Hernández in a one-on-one situation just outside of the 18-yard-box.