Atlanta United 2-0 Inter Miami: Recap, Rate and React

Atlanta United gets back on track in their return to league play.

Final Whistle Recap and Thoughts

Ah, that was much better.

Atlanta United got back on track coming off a three-week break in the season with a crucial 2-0 win over Inter Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium Sunday afternoon.

Crucial because the team now has a tougher stretch of the season upcoming, where they’ll play three straight on the road against Toronto, NYCFC and New York Red Bulls. A win to snap the team’s skid and get the good vibes going was of paramount importance for Gonzalo Pineda’s team.

Speaking of, it was all the more impressive to win the game in dominant fashion without their head coach on the touchline to serve a red card suspension. And speaking of suspensions, the team was also missing key attacking midfielder Thiago Almada (who unlike Pineda has two additional games to serve for his infraction).

And a tip of the hat to Rocco Rios Novo, who made his MLS debut Sunday and looked very solid (admittedly without a ton to do) in the win.

As for the action, Luiz Araujo got things started early on with this goal in the 4th minute — connecting with Josef Martinez who made his first league start since April.

Then in the second half, Josef Martinez put the game on ice, doubling Atlanta’s lead.

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Instead of giving you our full player ratings now, we’ll get your reactions first. Below is a ratings form for you to fill out with how you rate each Atlanta United player’s performance. Feel free to head down to the comments section and leave your thoughts on the match as a whole or give your detailed explanation of your ratings. You can view the results by clicking to see previous responses after voting. Our ratings will be out shortly.

Here’s a mobile-friendly link to the ballot. The in-post ballot only works on desktop due to issues out of my control.

The win moves Atlanta back to within striking distances of the pack of teams occupying the spots at the playoff line. At 19 points, Atlanta is just one off the 20 points of Charlotte, Cincinnati and New England, who occupy spots 6-8 in the Eastern Conference standings. NYCFC, New York Red Bulls and the Philadelphia Union sit atop the conference, each at 26 points.