D.C. United look to end their three-game road trip on a high note when they travel to Bobby Dodd Stadium to take on expansion side Atlanta United FC for their first-ever matchup on Sunday, April 30.
The Black-and-Red return to the road after securing a hard-fought 2-2 draw against the New England Revolution at Gillette Stadium last weekend. Despite entering the match with a number of key starters missing due to injury and illness, United showed their resilience while playing away from home, scoring back-to-back goals in response to going down a goal early.
Saturday's draw puts United at 2-3-2 on the season ahead of their Eastern Conference showdown in Atlanta, where they will look for their first road win of the season and will push to return to .500.
“I think on the day we could be satisfied with a point, but we have to find a way to get three points on the road,” defender Sean Franklin said following United's match at New England. “It was a good response from our group going down early—it’s tough to do and kind of shows our character. We’ll look at the film and get some things right going into our game against Atlanta.”
Atlanta have jumped out to a strong start in their inaugural season. The league debutants sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference with a 3-2-2 record following their 3-1 victory over Real Salt Lake last week. Leading the East with 17 goals, Atlanta have shown that their high powered offense is their key to success.
“I think everyone’s been pretty impressed with them so far,” head coach Ben Olsen said of Atlanta. “They have a lot of different ways they can hurt you and a few very good individual players.”
Atlanta will host the Black-and-Red in their first home game since March 18. Designated Players Hector Villalba (four goals) and Miguel Almirón (two goals, two assists) have carried Atlanta's attack as of late, and will be the primary danger men against United on Sunday. United's stingy back line will be a good test for the inexperienced Atlanta side, especially since the Black-and-Red defense has held opponents to one goal or fewer in three matches this season, including a shutout of dangerous Sporting Kansas City.
“They’ve got some strong attacking players, and it’s something we have to be aware of,” Franklin said of Atlanta. “We have to make sure we’re sharp and make sure we’re compact. It’s going to be a tough game, but we need to make it hard for them.”
Sunday is United’s final away match before returning home on May 6 to host the Montreal Impact. While Atlanta looks to secure a win in their homecoming, the Black-and-Red are looking to spoil the expansion side's plans and pick up their first road win of the season.
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