Atlanta United will open its MLS season on the road at Orlando on April 17 before hosting Chicago on April 24 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
MLS released the home openers for all of its teams Wednesday. The game at Orlando will be at 3 p.m. and televised by UniMas. The game against Chicago will be at 8 p.m. and televised by ESPN-Plus.
Similar to the ticketing policy for the team’s final home games in 2020, a limited number of supporters will be allowed into Mercedes-Benz Stadium for the home opener.
The game at Orlando will be Atlanta United’s third of the season following its Champions League matchup at Alajuelense in Costa Rica on April 6 and then the return leg at Kennesaw State on April 13.
Atlanta United is attempting to bounce back from a dismal 2020 during which standout player Josef Martinez sustained a season-ending injury in the first game, the team parted ways with manager Frank de Boer and it failed to make the playoffs for the first time in four seasons.
Atlanta United is 7-2-4 against Orlando in all competitions. The Lions defeated the team 4-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in their final meeting last season Oct. 28. Orlando went on to the playoffs under first-year manager Oscar Pareja. Among its offseason moves, it loaned standout U.S. striker Daryl Dike to Barnsley in the English Championship and acquired striker Alexandre Pato of Brazil and Silvester van der Water of Holland. The Lions are led by Nani and Chris Mueller, who combined for 16 goals last season, with the team going 11-4-8.
Atlanta United is 4-2-0 against Chicago in league matches, with the four wins coming at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Among its roster changes, Chicago added Nigerian forward Chinonso Offor, Ecuadorian defender Jhon Espinoza and Bulgarian midfielder Stanislav Ivanov. It traded American midfielder Djordje Mihailović to Montreal.
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