That was some housewarming party.
Atlanta United opened play inside of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in emphatic fashion, routing FC Dallas, 3-0, on Sunday afternoon. Three different players found the back of the net for Atlanta, as Leandro Gonzalez Pirez scored the early winner before Josef Martinez and Greg Garza added to the lead in the second half.
The comprehensive victory ended the expansion club's winless run at four games while extending Dallas' to eight matches.
Goals
- 14' – ATL – Leandro Gonzalez Pirez Watch
- 46' – ATL – Josef Martinez Watch
- 68' – ATL – Greg Garza Watch
Three Things
- FEELING RIGHT AT HOME: Atlanta United's first match at Mercedes-Benz Stadium could not have gone much better. On top of playing in front of a sold-out crowd of 45,314, Atlanta were dominant from the get go. They scored early, were rarely troubled by FC Dallas, and looked very sharp all around. This was a perfect start to their time in their new home.
- ATTACKING TRIO SHINE: While all 11 starters turned in strong performances for Atlanta, the three-headed Designated Player monster that is Martinez, Miguel Almiron, and Hector Villalba really shone. Almiron and Martinez did a terrific job combining and exploiting space, and Villalba threatened with repeated runs, shots, and passes from the outside.
- CONSOLATION PRIZE: If there was one thing for FC Dallas to take from this match, it was Jesse Gonzalez's stellar play. Gonzalez prevented his side from losing by an even larger margin, making eight saves on the day. Some of his stops were very impressive, too, including a soaring first-half denial of a Yamil Asad effort that Gonzalez got enough of to push off the crossbar.
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