Atlanta United dropped their first competitive match in four months to the New York Red Bulls, 1-0, to open Group E play at the MLS is Back Tournament. A fourth minute goal from Florian Valot was enough for the Red Bulls to come away with all three points and put the Five Stripes in an early hole to dig out of.
The circumstances surrounding MLS’s return to play are clearly weird. Here is my attempt to throw some measured and tempered opinions against the wall after Atlanta’s first 90 minutes in what seems like an eternity.