Atlanta United will attempt to extend their unbeaten streak to eight matches on Saturday when they visit the New York Red Bulls in Harrison, N.J.
Nick Firmino scored during second-half stoppage time on Wednesday to help Atlanta United (7-4-8, 29 points) salvage a 2-2 draw against New York City FC. The draw was Atlanta’s fifth during its seven-match unbeaten streak.
“I liked the competitive side, I liked that we never give up and never giving up is a signature of championship team,” Five Stripes coach Gonzalo Pineda said, per the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “And I liked that even though we were a young team … the mentality and the resilience that we learn from this and we’re ready to compete, and I think we did that.”
Homegrown forward Tyler Wolff scored his second goal in as many matches on Wednesday.
Striker Giorgos Giakoumakis, who was suspended for the match against NYCFC due to yellow card accumulation, scored in the eighth minute of Atlanta’s 1-0 victory over the Red Bulls on April 1. He leads the team with 10 goals in 14 matches.
Atlanta leads the MLS in goals scored with 37, but it has yielded the second-most tallies with 31. The Five Stripes also have struggled away from home this season, posting a 1-3-5 record.
The Red Bulls (4-6-8, 20 points) also recorded a 2-2 draw against Charlotte FC in their last match. However, they rallied from an early two-goal deficit to pocket the point.
Dante Vanzeir ignited the rally by coming off the bench and scoring in the 53rd minute. With two goals, Vanzeir is tied with four others for top honors on the low-scoring club.
“He made a very, very strong case for himself moving forward,” Red Bulls coach Troy Lesesne said of Vanzeir’s prospects of starting Saturday’s match, per AMNY.com. “I hope he continues to be fit and be healthy — he was out for a long stretch of games — because when he’s in a good way, you can see the impact that he makes.”
Cameron Harper added his first goal of the season just five minutes later.
–Field Level Media
