Atlanta United blows out Atlas, former manager Gonzalo Pineda

Call it a confidence-builder or call it cruel, but Atlanta United played arguably its best match of the season Wednesday in a game that meant nothing.

Goals from Jamal Thiare, Alexey Miranchuk, Saba Lobjanidze and Cayman Togashi lifted Atlanta United to a 4-1 win over Atlas at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The victory snapped Atlanta United’s 10-match winless streak going back to May 28. It also was the team’s first win in the Leagues Cup, breaking a six-match skid stretching back to 2023. The victory came against its former manager, Gonzalo Pineda, in front of an announced attendance 22,342.

Neither team could advance into the knockout round of the tournament, which is why the game competitively meant nothing.

But Atlanta United needed something good ahead of its 10 remaining MLS matches, starting Saturday at Montreal. The Five Stripes are 14 points below the playoff line.

Kenny Miller, managing Atlanta United because Ronny Deila was serving a one-match suspension after receiving a red card in the previous match, selected Thiare, Luke Brennan, Lobjanidze, Miranchuk, Will Reilly, Bartosz Slisz, Brooks Lennon, Ronald Hernandez, Stian Gregersen, Nyk Sessock and Jayden Hibbert as the starting 11.

Atlanta United took a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick into the lower right corner by Thiare in the eighth minute. It was Thiare’s fourth goal this season. Gregersen won the penalty kick when he was run over by Matheus Doria.

Miranchuk made the score 2-0 in the 34th minute with a perhaps unintentional give-and-go with Brennan. Miranchuk passed to Brennan in the 18-yard box. Brennan appeared to try to dribble between two defenders. The ball rolled between both. Miranchuk swooped in, got to the ball and chipped the goalkeeper. It was Miranchuk’s fifth goal. Brennan was credited with an assist, his first.

Lobjanidze made the score 3-0 in the 39th minute with a right-footed, 23-yard free kick into the near corner. It was Lobjanidze’s first goal this season.

Atlanta United finished the half with eight shots, three on goal. Atlas finished with 10 shots, five on goal.

It was the first time since March 11, 2023, against Charlotte that Atlanta United had a 3-0 lead at halftime.

Miller made two subs to start the second half. Enea Mihaj replaced Gregersen and Tristan Muyumba replaced Miranchuk. Togashi replaced Thiare in the 56th minute.

Togashi scored his first goal, a header into the upper right corner, to give Atlanta United a 4-0 lead in the 67th minute. Sessock got the assist, his first. It was a well-crafted team goal that started with Reilly, deep in Atlanta United’s half, hitting a long, curling pass down the sideline for Togashi to run onto. He didn’t panic after he caught up to the ball. He waited for teammates to arrive before splitting defenders with a pass centrally to Slisz, who then passed to his right to Sessock as Togashi sprinted from the left back to the center of the pitch.