Atlanta United (2-2-0) will host Chicago (1-2-2) at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game will be televised on Fox and for free on AppleTV. You can follow Doug Roberson’s coverage on X (formerly known as Twitter) @DougRobersonAJC.
Chicago manager: Frank Klopas
Atlanta United home record: 2-0-0
Chicago away record: 0-1-2
Chicago goals for/against: 9/10
Chicago expected goals for/against: 7.6/8.7
Atlanta United goals for/against: 6/4
Atlanta United expected goals for/against: 5.0/5.5
Atlanta United all-time vs Chicago: 7-5-2, 6-1-0 at home
Chicago key players
Hugo Cuypers: Two goals
Brian Gutierrez: Two goals, one assist
Fabian Herbers: Two goals, two assists
Kellyn Acosta: One goal
Atlanta United key players
Saba Lobjanidze: One goal
Brooks Lennon: Two assists
Injury reports
Atlanta United
Out: Stian Gregersen (knee) and Daniel Rios (calf).
Chicago
None reported.
Storylines to watch
1. Where will the goals come from? Missing Giorgos Giakoumakis and Thiago Almada, Atlanta United was shut out in last week’s 2-0 loss at Toronto. It created eight chances. Both are back and playing at home, where Atlanta United is 2-0 with six goals.
2. Will Noah Cobb start? Cobb started against Toronto and played well, according to manager Gonzalo Pineda and centerback Derrick Williams. With Gregersen out with a knee injury, it’s likely that Cobb will start again. Williams said communication and making sure everyone stays compact will be key.
3. Scoring in transition. Atlanta United wants to be a possession-based team, but has been very successful scoring goals in situations where it wins the ball in its defensive third and then counterattacks. Taking advantage of those situations against Chicago, which likely will press, will be key.
What was said
“I think all these experiences combined give us a good idea, as the guys come back and continue to gel as a group, and learn to do these things on the fly where we don’t need to go into halftime and kind of reflect. We can do it during the game.” – Tyler Wolff
“We felt like we had some good actions this past game, but couldn’t finish it or maybe a missed touch or miscommunication on the run to the pass.” – Nic Firmino
“Their first press is pretty good. I think they press pretty hard at the start. They’ve got some good individual players. The new striker looks a handful. And I think they look like a different team than last year. So it’s going to be a tough game. But they’re coming to the Benz, and we know how much we enjoy playing there. – Williams
Officiating crew
REF: Lukasz Szpala
AR1: Nick Uranga
AR2: Kevin Lock
4TH: Sergii Demianchuk
VAR: Kevin Stott
AVAR: Ian McKay
Atlanta United’s predicted 11
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan
Centerback Derrick Williams
Centerback Noah Cobb
Right fullback Brooks Lennon
Left fullback Caleb Wiley
Defensive midfielder Bartosz Slisz
Midfielder Tristan Muyumba
Attacking midfielder Thiago Almada
Winger Saba Lobjanidze
Winger Xande Silva
Striker Giorgos Giakoumakis
For more content about Atlanta United
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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule
Feb. 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0
March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1
March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0
March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0
March 31 vs. Chicago, 3:30 p.m., Fox
April 6 at NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.
April 14 vs. Philadelphia, 2:30 p.m., Fox
April 20 vs. Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
April 27 at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.
May 4 vs. Minnesota, 7:30 p.m.
May 11 vs. D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
May 15 at Cincinnati, 7:30 p.m.
May 18 at Nashville, 1:30 p.m.
May 25 vs. LAFC, 7:30 p.m.
May 29 at Miami, 7:30 p.m.
June 2 vs Charlotte, 4:30 p.m., Fox
June 15 vs. Houston, 7:30 p.m.
June 19 at D.C. United, 7:30 p.m.
June 22 at St. Louis, 8:30 p.m.
June 29 vs. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.
July 3 at New England, 7:30 p.m.
July 6 at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.
July 13 at Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
July 17 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.
July 20 vs. Columbus, 7:30 p.m.
July 26 vs. D.C. United in Leagues Cup, 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 4 vs. Santos Laguna in Leagues Cup, 4 p.m.
Aug. 24 at L.A. Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.
Aug. 31 at Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 14 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 18 vs. Miami, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 21 at Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 28 at Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 vs. Montreal, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 5 vs. Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 19 at Orlando, 6 p.m.
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