Home is where the heart — and victory — is. Atlanta United defeated D.C. 3-1 on Sunday, giving fans in Mercedes-Benz Stadium their first taste of victory this season.
More than 72,000 people turned out in Merc-Benz, giving an early indication of what kind of sports town Atlanta can be. The crowd attendance was a record and sets the tone for the rest of the season.
The home team’s three goals were provided by Josef Martinez, Miguel Almiron and Hector Villalba. The crowd was rocking and rolling all day on a rainy Sunday as fans still came out to support their team and in the process, made history.
Sunday’s home crowd of 72,035 tickets sold broke the MLS record for single-game attendance. In its inaugural season, Atlanta United boke the record against Toronto in October when 71,874 bought tickets to the game. On Sept. 16, Atlanta United originally set the record — 70,425 — against Orlando City.
The win puts Atlanta back in the win column after getting shut out 4-0 last week at Houston in its season opener. See the rest of AUFC’s schedule here.