Atlanta United lost to Toronto FC in the Eastern Conference Final 1-2.
The match was a roller coaster ride from the opening whistle. Julian Gressel scored a tap in just the third minute to put Atlanta up 1-0.
In the 7th minute, Atlanta midfielder Jeff Larentowics played an excellent ball in the air from deep in Atlanta’s defensive half to Gonzalo “Pity” Martinez. Pity collected the ball and carried into Toronto’s penalty area where he was fouled and earned a penalty kick for the Five Stripes, but Toronto keeper Quentin Westburg saved Josef Martinez’s shot to keep it 1-0.
Nicolas Benezet pulled Toronto even with Atlanta after finding the bottom right corner from outside Atlanta’s penalty area in the 13th minute. In the 77th minute, Nick DeLeon scored a wonder goal to put Toronto up 2-1.
After Atlanta United went down, Atlanta players began to bombard Toronto’s goal but couldn’t find the equalizer.
Despite not repeating as champions, Atlanta United still had a successful season. Adding the U.S. Open Cup and the Campeones Cup to Atlanta’s trophy cabinet should not be overlooked.
Photo Credits: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Kyle Soto is the Sports Content Marketing Director at The Wolf Internet Radio. You can follow Kyle for soccer content on Twitter @kyledsoto.
