Saturday night at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis was a barn burner as Atlanta United won against Minnesota United in cold weather. The victory came courtesy of an own-goal by Minnesota United’s Francisco Calvo in the third minute after Hector Villalba’s head shot bounce off the goal’s crossbar.
The win makes three consecutive victories for Atlanta, which is looking to capitalize on its momentum for the rest of the season.
Both squads began their inaugural season in 2017, one with considerably more fanfare than the other.
Atlanta was not only new last year, but good. They reached the postseason and boasted a boisterous crowd that set attendance records for all but one MLS club. Still, many around the league want to know if they’re for real.
Atlanta United Beats Minnesota United 1-0
At Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AUTD players are focused on the task at hand. “I don’t know that [our goals] have changed, they’ve just maybe gotten a little bit loftier,” technical director Carlos Bocanegra told ESPN. “The realistic goal and challenge is to be in that conversation and be challenging for the Cup every year.”
The Minnesota club stands in utter contrast to the immediate success experienced by Atlanta.
“We are a long, long way from where I want — and where the club wants — us to be,” Minnesota coach Adrian Heath was quoted by ESPN FC as saying. “That is just the reality of where we are at this point in time. We live in a here-and-now world. Everybody wants to go on reality TV and be a star overnight. Nobody wants to put in the work that takes years.”
Atlanta’s Josef Martinez is No. 1 in the league in goals scored (four) and Miguel Almiron is tops in shot attempts (22). That bodes well for the Five Stripes.
Last season, Atlanta beat Minnesota in its home-opener 6-1, something they’re trying to avoid this time around.