Atlanta United will open against New York Red Bulls

Atlanta United will open its inaugural 2017 season hosting New York Red Bulls at 7 p.m. on March 5 at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Stadium.

Atlanta will go on the road for its next game to play fellow expansion team Minnesota United at 5 p.m. on March 12 in Week 2.

MLS revealed each of the league’s 22 teams’ first home games on Wednesday. The entire schedule will be released before the draft on Jan. 13.

“We’ve all been counting down the days and we finally have a date to circle on our calendars,” club president Darren Eales said in a statement from the team. “I know our fans are just as excited as we are to get started and we look forward to hosting this historic match in front of a packed house at Bobby Dodd Stadium.”

New York Red Bulls feature U.S. men’s national team player Sacha Kljestan and Dax McCarty in midfield with Bradley Wright-Phillips at forward among its notable players.

New York finished first in the Eastern Conference in the 2016 season with 57 points, but had a poor away record of 3-7-7. They were beaten by Montreal in the playoffs.

Minnesota United, like Atlanta United, is still putting its roster together. It played in the NASL last season. The Loons are coached by Adrian Heath, whose son Harrison is a midfielder for Atlanta. Both were formerly with Orlando SC.

Atlanta United will play in Bobby Dodd until construction on Mercedes-Benz Stadium is completed. The target is the summer.

First games

A look at Atlanta United’s first two opponents:

New York Red Bulls

Twitter: @NewYorkRedBulls

Coach: Jesse Marsch.

Year Founded: 1995.

Stadium: Red Bull Arena (25,000).

Famous past players: Jozy Altidore, Juan Pablo Angel, Claudio Reyna, Thierry Henry and Rafael Marquez.

Notable current players: Sacha Kljestan, Dax McCarty and Bradley Wright-Phillips.

Rivals: NYCFC, D.C. United, Philadelphia Union, New England Revolution.

MLS Cup: 2008 (Runners-up).

U.S. Open Cup: 2003 (Runners-up).

Supporters’ Shield: 2015, 2013.

-

About Minnesota

Twitter: @MNUFC

Coach: Adrian Heath.

Year Founded: 2010.

Stadium: TFC Bank Stadium (52,535).

Every team’s openers

March 3

• 9:30 p.m., Portland Timbers vs. Minnesota United FC (Providence Park)

-

March 4

• 2 p.m.,Columbus Crew SC vs. Chicago Fire (MAPFRE Stadium)
• 4 p.m., LA Galaxy vs. FC Dallas (StubHub Center)
• 4:30 p.m.,Real Salt Lake vs. Toronto FC (Rio Tinto Stadium)
• 6:00 p.m., Colorado Rapids vs. New England Revolution (Dick's Sporting Goods Park)
• 7:00 p.m., D.C. United vs. Sporting Kansas City (RFK Stadium)
• 8:30 p.m., Houston Dynamo vs. Seattle Sounders FC (BBVA Compass Stadium)
• 10 p.m., San Jose Earthquakes vs. Montreal Impact (Avaya Stadium)

-

March 5

• 5 p.m., Orlando City SC vs. New York City FC (Orlando City Stadium)
• 7 p.m., Atlanta United vs. New York Red Bulls (Bobby Dodd Stadium)
• 9:30 p.m., Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Philadelphia Union (BC Place)

-

March 11

• 2 p.m., New England Revolution vs. Orlando City SC (Gillette Stadium)
• 2p.m., Chicago Fire vs. Real Salt Lake (Toyota Park)
• 4 p.m., New York Red Bulls vs. Colorado Rapids (Red Bull Arena)
• 4:30 p.m., Philadelphia Union vs. Toronto FC (Talen Energy Stadium)
• 7 p.m., Montreal Impact vs. Seattle Sounders FC (Olympic Stadium)
• 9 p.m., Sporting Kansas City vs. FC Dallas (Children's Mercy Park)

-

March 12

• 2 p.m., New York City FC vs. D.C. United (Yankee Stadium)
• 5 p.m., Minnesota United FC vs. Atlanta United (TCF Bank Stadium)

-

March 18

• 8 p.m., FC Dallas vs. New England Revolution (Toyota Stadium)

-

March 19

• 7 p.m., Seattle Sounders FC vs. New York Red Bulls (CenturyLink Field)