Sunday Night Soccer: Atlanta United Falls 2-1 to Inter Miami

Atlanta United falls 2-1 to Inter Miami in a late goal last night at Merceds-Benz Stadium.

In the first 10 minutes, it was a cat and mouse game between Miami and Atlanta. It wouldn't take long until the first goal was scored.

In the 11th minute, Miguel Almirón delivered a ball from the center line right to Brooks Lennon on the run down the right flank. He found Latte Lath inside the box who heads it in to make 1-0.

Brooks Lennon making waves in his first appearance of the 2025 season as he earned his 200th career start, and tied the all-time assist record with 39. This was set by inter Miami's Julian Gressel.

“It was just a culmination of all the rehab I have done over the last four and a half months, almost five months, and all the hard work that I have put in. It was almost an emotional moment for me, just so happy to be able to come back and provide an assist," said Brooks Lennon after the match. "Such an unfortunate result in the end, but I am really proud of how the guys played and it’s great to be back.”

Lennon would connected with Latte Lath again in the 19th minute, but it was called back for offsides.

In the 20th minute, Brad Guzan stopped a great shot from the Herons, but Atlanta didn't clear the ball out in time. Lionel Messi forced a turnover and took a shot the floated over Guzan to equalize.

"When we go against Miami, we play our system, we play open, we want to attack them, we want to press them. Of course, then you will also get, we couldn’t sit back and just wait for counter-attacks, but we want to do something ourselves on the ball and also try to make them make mistakes on the ball as well. I think, defensively, we didn’t give them a lot. It was our fault that cost them the two chances they had in the first half. Three chances, because there was also the Messi [Lionel Messi] shot in the end on there. So that is something we have to learn about," said Head Coach Ronny Deila.

"We dare to play and that it will also do some mistakes. But over time that will also develop itself. If we just kick it up and then waiting for something to happen, then we don’t learn anything from these games. It was an even game when you see the expected goals and touches inside the box, but their chances were more clean-cut chances and you see also, of course, we talk about one of the best players in the world, maybe the best still, it’s unbelievable. The bad part, I think, is how we can concede that last goal. That’s too easy, because they have three, four guys in the box and I think they are satisfied with the draw, then they get something out of nothing and that’s hard to swallow."

In the 45th minute, Messi capitalized off of a rebounded shot with a one touch volley that Guzan punches away for a corner kick.

Miami was awarded a dangerous free kick opportunity in stoppage time. Messi stepped up to take it, and it fell right into the hands of Guzan to end the first half.

Guzan kept the score leveled in the 55th minute when Miami forced a turnover in Atlanta's defensive third. Messi found Luis Suarez who fired a shot at goal, but Guzan punched it away.

Tristen Muyumba almost found the game winner in the 59th minute whne he fired a shot a few yards out that rattled off the crossbar.

Yannick Bright made a tackle in the defensive half that fell to Messi's feet where he dribbled toward goal and took a shot that Guzan kick saved in the 65th minute.

Inter Miami would find the game winner in the 89th minute when Benjamin Cremaschi found Jordi Alba on a short corner, and Alba whipped a cross to find Fabrice Picault who placed a header that went past Guzan and hit the post to make it 2-1.

"The consequences, we have to stop thinking about. As I said to the players all the time, I said, ‘I take the consequences. We need to go out and enjoy playing and feel free.’ We displayed what we’re talking about, but we look little bit step behind during the game," said Deila. "That’s something I have to look through as well, what we have done training-wise this week, into relation to the players. So that’s a learning point that I need to look through because I’ve seen us fresher than we were today."

Atlanta United is back in action Saturday, March 22 as they go on the road to face FC Cincinnati at 2:30 p.m. They will be going to QGL Stadium missing a few players as it was announced today that ten players from Atlanta have received call-ups from their respective national teams.

Luis Abram, Miguel Almirón, Luke Brennan, Noah Cobb, Jay Fortune, Stian Gregersen, Efrain Morales and Bartosz Slisz taking part in the March 17-25 FIFA window. From Atlanta United 2, Dominik Chong Qui and Kaiden Moore were also called up. All 10 will return to Atlanta prior to the club’s match vs. New York City FC on March 29.

“Players are gonna get their chances now so they’ll have to step up and take their chances. For some of these players, it’s the opportunity they’ve been waiting for, so look, if they do well, hopefully they keep their spot, so yeah if I was the player that weren’t playing and then had the opportunity, that’s what I would be thinking," said Derrick Williams after the match. "I’d be thinking that this is my chance to really show the gaffer and we have such a strong squad. I still think we’ll be okay, but we just have to do the right things, the simple things and be disciplined. It’s when we go anyway off that is when we look very average.”

Be on the look out for a new Training Ground Dispatch where Madison Crews and Jason Longshore will recap everything that happened at training leading into Saturday's match against FC Cincinnati!