SEATTLE — Atlanta United defeated Seattle Sounders FC 2-0 in its return to MLS regular season action on Sunday night.
Giorgos Giakoumakis scored both goals on headers and increased his season total to 12, one off the league's Golden Boot lead. Additionally, two of Atlanta's summer signings, Xande Silva and Tristan Muyumba, made their MLS debuts and helped move the club within two points of third place in the Eastern Conference.
Atlanta controlled the early portion of the match and found the breakthrough in the 11th minute off a set piece. Brooks Lennon sent a corner kick near the penalty spot, where Giakoumakis rose above his defender and headed the ball powerfully past Seattle's keeper Stefan Frei. Lennon recorded his eighth assist of the season, which is a new single-season best mark for the defender.
The away side nearly doubled its lead in the next 10 minutes. After Lennon skipped by a couple of Sounders players in midfield, he raced towards the box and laid the ball off to Edwin Mosquera but his shot went over the bar. Moments later, Silva cut inside the box onto his left foot but scuffed his shot at the last moment after Thiago Almada found him with a delicate pass between two defenders.
In the 36th minute, Giakoumakis had a shot from six yards out that was saved by Frei after patient build up play that ultimately led to Almada chipping a ball to Mosquera who one-timed his pass into the path of the Greek international. Seattle almost equalized on the stroke of halftime when Albert Rusnak collected a turnover and took a shot from the top of the box. Two Atlanta defenders deflected the shot and the ball skimmed the top of the crossbar off the ricochet. Atlanta took a 1-0 lead into halftime.
Seattle had a couple of scoring opportunities in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Guzan made a good stop on a Yeimar Gomez header, before Rusnak narrowly missed on a volley from 20 yards out in the 58th minute. But it was the Five Stripes who doubled the lead in the 65th minute. Almada collected a ball near the left side of the box and floated in a peach of a cross to Giakoumakis at the far post. The striker got away from his marker and powered a header near post for the 2-0 lead.
Atlanta controlled the rest of the match and picked up its third road win of the season and moved within two points of third place in the Eastern Conference standings.
Atlanta United (10-7-8, 38 points points) returns to Mercedes-Benz Stadium next week when they play host to Nashville SC on Saturday, Aug. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
