by Madison Crews
Atlanta United’s second preseason match is almost here! The Five Stripes will be in Athens this Saturday to face off against Memphis FC at 3:00pm where fans may recognize a familiar face in Steven Glass.
Looking back at the 2-1 victory against Birmingham Legion, lets Crews through some of the highlights from that match and what we can expect tomorrow:
Giorgos Giakoumakis started the preseason with a bang. The cross from Ronald Hernandez and small touch from Derrick Williams that led to Giakoumakis’ goal in the 20th minute.
Only two minutes later, Nick Firmino, who signed with the first team January 1st , scored the second goal of the match with an assist from Xande Silva to make it 2-0.
Just before the end of the first half, Birmingham Legion split the lead in half. Enzo Martinez’s shot deflected off Luis Abram to make it 2-1.
There were a few miscues from United, but it was a great match to get an idea of where the team stands.
The biggest highlight for me from the match was the younger players that stepped up. Cooper Sanchez and Ashton Gordon, who was signed to an MLS NEXT Pro contract for the 2024 season and a Homegrown player contract effective Jan. 1, 2025, were the players that stood out to me the most. The Academy players were not afraid to throw down with Birmingham Legion. These kids were going up against adults and you couldn’t tell. The future is looking bright for Atlanta United.
Overall, it was a great to see how much depth Atlanta United has with the first team, second team and the academy. I will also be waiting to hear from President and GM of Birmingham Legion, Jay Heaps, about my Lady Electra jersey.
Saturday’s match will have one group playing the first 45 minutes and then another group coming in for the last 45. I want to see more of chemistry from the team since they have had more time to train together. “The guys have integrated well,” said Nick Firmino during halftime last Saturday. “We are still not fully used to each other on the field, but that was a good 30 minutes to get use to each other and it can only get better.”
Fans can watch the match at www.atlutd.com/live and listen to the match on 92.9 the Game.
If you are in downtown Athens between 6:00pm to 8:00pm, make sure to stop by Creature Comforts to catch the post-game show with Soccer Down Here. We will be breaking down everything from the match, the rest of the preseason, and looking ahead to the 2024 season. Mike Conti, Tyler Pilgrim and many others will be making an appearance.
We will see you all Saturday in Athens!
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