Thiago Almada’s thunderbolt lifts Atlanta United past DC United

Almada’s goal came from a 25-yard shot into the bottom right corner. It started when he collected the ball near midfield and beat two players as he dribbled towards goal before unleashing a right-footed rocket in the 79th minute. It was Almada’s fifth goal this season.

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Defensively, Valentino’s decision to switch to three center backs neutralized Christian Benteke, who scored a hat trick in the teams’ first meeting this season, and gave Atlanta United their fourth shutout.

Valentino selected the central defenders, Noah Cobb, Efrain Morales and Derrick Williams, with Caleb Wiley and Brooks Lennon as full-backs, Tristan Muyumba, Dax McCarty and Almada in midfield, Xande Silva on the wing and Daniel Rios as striker. Brad Guzan started in goal.

As was the case in Atlanta United’s 2-2 draw against Houston in their previous match, Valentino was without four starters due to international call-ups or injuries.

Almada received a yellow card in the 18th minute for dissent. Due to a buildup, he will be suspended for Saturday’s game at St. Louis.

The formation change worked in the first half. Benteke was limited to two shots, including one on goal, and it was tame.

Offensively, Atlanta United scored two shots on goal. One of them was a well-executed strike from Almada that was pushed away while focusing on the bottom left corner.

Atlanta United created two decent chances, both crossed by Wiley, in the opening minutes of the second half.

Jamal Thiare and Jay Fortune replaced Rios and McCarty in the 65th minute.

Atlanta United’s best chance before scoring came when Almada played with Silva on the left. He took one touch too many and DC United’s Tyler Miller was able to get out and close the angles enough to block the shot in the 77th minute.

And then came Almada’s goal, which started with a good hold-up from Silva in midfield, which gave the teammates enough time to start finding spaces within the DC United formation.

Unlike Houston, who scored in the final minute of the tie, Atlanta United managed to close out the victory with disciplined defense in the final minutes, punctuated by a sliding block from Williams to deny Benteke from four yards out in the final seconds.

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Atlanta United’s 2024 schedule

February 24 Columbus 1, Atlanta United 0

March 9 Atlanta United 4, New England 1

March 17 Atlanta United 2, Orlando 0

March 23 Toronto 2, Atlanta United 0

March 31 Atlanta United 3, Chicago 0

April 6 Atlanta United 1, NYCFC 1

April 14 Atlanta United 2, Philadelphia 2

April 20 Cincinnati 2, Atlanta United 1

April 27 Atlanta United 1, Chicago 1

May 4 Minnesota 2, Atlanta United 1

May 7 Atlanta United 3, Charlotte Independence 0 in US Open Cup

May 11 DC United 3, Atlanta United 2

May 15 Cincinnati 1, Atlanta United 0

May 18 Atlanta United 1, Nashville 1

May 21 Atlanta United 0 (5), Charleston 0 (4) in US Open Cup

May 25 LAFC 1, Atlanta United 0

May 29 Atlanta United 3, Miami 1

June 2 Charlotte 3, Atlanta United 2

June 15 Atlanta United 2, Houston 2

June 19 Atlanta United 1, DC United 0

June 22 in Saint-Louis, 8:30 p.m.

June 29 c. Toronto, 7:30 p.m.

July 3 at New England, 7:30 p.m.

July 6 at Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.

July 9 against Indy Eleven in the US Open Cup

July 13 in Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

July 17 vs. NYCFC, 7:30 p.m.

July 20 against Columbus, 7:30 p.m.

July 26 against DC United in the League Cup, 7:30 p.m.

August 4 against Santos Laguna in the League Cup, 4 p.m.

August 24 at LA Galaxy, 10:30 p.m.

August 31 in Charlotte, 7:30 p.m.

September 14 vs. Nashville, 7:30 p.m.

September 18 against Miami, 7:30 p.m.

September 21 at the Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

September 28 in Philadelphia, 7:30 p.m.

October 2 c. Montreal, 7:30 p.m.

October 5 against Red Bulls, 7:30 p.m.

October 19 in Orlando, 6 p.m.