Atlanta United draws DC United in Leagues Cup opener, loses point on penalties

With the match tied 3-3 at the end of regulation time, the result was decided by a penalty shoot-out in accordance with Leagues Cup rules.

Cohen stopped the first shot for Atlanta, but DC United then converted their next five shots in a row. McCarty took the first shot for Atlanta United and converted it, but it was followed by a missed shot from Lennon. From there, both teams continued to shoot until one team broke. The missed shot came from Slisz on his second PK attempt of the night.

“(Slisz) is a great player,” McCarty said. “Tonight, we have to give credit to Alex Bono. He outplayed us. He’s not just one player, right? He’s everybody. He’s a team. There’s no blame. There’s no blame. Bartek is a great player… When you miss two goals, it’s tough, but the message we sent to him is we’re going to pick you up.”

“It’s a big lesson for me,” Slisz said.

Even though it wasn’t the result they were hoping for, Atlanta United are still in contention in their group, just one point behind DC after the opening match of the group stage. The top two teams from the group of three will advance to the knockout stage. Next up, Atlanta United will face Santos Laguna at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday, August 4.