Atlanta United blows lead again, falls to LA Galaxy
Atlanta United has seen this film before.
Turn back the tape just a few weeks ago, to when the Five Stripes relinquished a 1-0 advantage in the final stretch to lose at home 2-1. First, versus the New England Revolution and now to the LA Galaxy on Saturday night.
United players and coaches hoped the first three-game win streak across all competitions might be enough to turn around the season, but instead, it’s a similar story for Atlanta.
Most of the match was a series of almosts for the Five Stripes. Two goals were called back because of a foul and offside. Juan Berrocal netted the first disallowed score and Emmanuel Latte Lath had the second.
Midfielder Jay Fortune broke the deadlock in the 69th minute. Fortune made a couple of maneuvers to break away from Galaxy defenders to make a right-footed shot in the middle of the box. The homegrown scored his first MLS goal since May 2025 after undergoing multiple surgeries to repair a foot injury he sustained while competing for Trinidad & Tobago in the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.
However, it did not take long for Los Angeles to flip the script. Galaxy attacking midfielder Gabriel Pec bagged a brace in a matter of five minutes.
Miguel Almirón missed six matches through all competitions after enduring a knee injury in the U.S. Open Cup round of 32. He was listed as questionable for the last two matches, and Martino described him as day-to-day.
Martino acknowledged before the match how important it is to consider the upcoming FIFA World Cup when making decisions about Almirón’s status. The United captain has played an integral role in Paraguay’s journey to its first World Cup appearance since 2010.
Galaxy was also without a scoring threat. Striker Joao Klauss was absent with a foot injury he sustained in April. Klauss got off to a hot start to the season with five goals in eight matches. Los Angeles has tried to keep up the pace as LA came into the match tied for fourth in shots on goal, but 13th in goals scored.
This was just the sixth meeting between the two squads. The all-time series record is now tied at 3-3. Atlanta falls to 2-8-1 on the season while LA improves to 4-4-4, both sitting toward the bottom of their respective conferences.
United won’t take the field again at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for another 98 days, with the FIFA World Cup coming to town and a four-game road trip after the tournament. The club failed to leave a positive lasting impression on the home crowd, which broke 40,000 on Saturday.
Next, Atlanta faces Orlando City SC in a pair of matches: first for Matchday 12 on May 16, then again for the Open Cup quarterfinal on May 19.
