Atlanta United aim to bring an end to their winless stretch when they welcome Charlotte FC to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for Major League Soccer action this weekend.

The Five Stripes come into this encounter without a victory in each of their last six outings, while the visitors appear to be back on track following recent results.

Match preview

The 2025 MLS campaign has been a turbulent one for Atlanta, who now face the very real prospect of their worst regular season finish since entering the top flight.

Having qualified for the League Cup through the play-in round last season and gone as far as the semi-finals, Ronny Deila’s side now risk missing out on the tournament entirely.

ATL sit 13th in the Eastern Conference with just 20 points from 22 matches and find themselves trailing this weekend’s opponent by a staggering 12 points in the final wild-card position.

While victories have been hard to come by — only four all season — the last of those came in late March, when the Five Stripes claimed back-to-back wins before falling to three successive defeats.

That losing run was followed by three straight draws, the most recent being a 2-2 result at Mercedes-Benz against Chicago Fire, and although momentum remains elusive, Atlanta can at least take solace from their relative comfort at this ground.

All four of their victories this season have come at home, yet they face a Charlotte side that has left with the spoils in each of the last two meetings here.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith’s men arrive buoyed by their first successive victories since April and look to be rediscovering their early-season rhythm. 

The Crown began the campaign with six wins from their opening nine matches in what looked to be the makings of their best-ever regular season, only for that to unravel into a disastrous run with just two victories from the next 12 (D1, L9).

However, consecutive wins over New York City FC (2-0) and DC United (2-1), respectively, have helped lift spirits and steer them back into League Cup contention.

Charlotte now sit ninth in the East with 32 points from 23 matches, only two points shy of the automatic qualification places, and while the Crown will be aiming to climb further, their away form remains a nagging concern.

The visitors have managed just two wins from 12 matches on the road, with nine ending in defeat — the most in the conference — so taking even a point from this encounter would still be considered a significant result.

Atlanta United MLS form:

Charlotte FC MLS form:

Team News

The hosts remain without defensive pair Derrick Williams and Stian Gregersen due to foot and hip injuries, respectively, while Ajani Fortune has now missed each of the last five matches and is not expected to return for this one either.

Goalkeeper Josh Cohen is also ruled out with an arm injury, though Brad Guzan is still expected to feature between the sticks once again.

Despite drawing a blank last time out, Emmanuel Latte Lath remains Atlanta’s key source of goals and will lead the line as he looks to add to his tally of six.

As for Charlotte, right-back Nathan Byrne continues to miss out with a neck injury he sustained in April, while Souleyman Doumbia may be unavailable for a fourth consecutive game as he battles a hamstring issue.

Meanwhile, Pep Biel will look to continue his blistering form after being involved in seven goals across the last four matches, including a brace in the win against DC United.

Atlanta United possible starting lineup:

Guzan; Amador, Abram, Morales, Lennon; Muyumba, Slisz; Lobjanidze, Miranchuk, Almiron; Latte Lath

Charlotte FC possible starting lineup:

Kahlina; Marshall-Rutty, Ream, Tuiloma, Malanda, Abada; Biel, Westwood, Diani; Toklomati, Zaha

We say: Atlanta United 2-2 Charlotte FC

Charlotte’s recent momentum gives them reason to believe, but their woeful record on the road suggests this may be a tricky outing — and with Atlanta still showing glimpses of life at home, a high-scoring draw could be on the cards.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Written by
Adeyeye Oluwapelumi

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