On the anniversary of the first home match played by Atlanta United at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the 5-Stripes defeated Toronto FC 4-2. All four goals came in the second half, with three coming from Juanjo Purata.

The Atlanta United team got things rolling quickly. Dwyer played a forward pass to a dribbling Luiz Arajo in the second minute. The Brazilian advanced the ball with his pace, but his attempt at goal was blocked. There were no goals in the first half, but things started to heat up in the second 45. Right from the bat, Atlanta United gave the home fans a reason to rejoice at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Juanjo Purata, a defender, scored in the 47th minute with a header from a corner kick taken by Lennon. All four of Purata's goals this year have come from headers. However, Toronto FC responded quickly. The away team pushed the ball down the midfield, but Atlanta United's goalkeeper Raul Gudio rushed out to clear it. In the 52nd minute, forward Ayo Akinola was able to tie the game 1-1 with a low shot that snuck past goalkeeper Gudio. In the 62nd minute, Atlanta United took back the initiative. Gutman sent a header well beyond the penalty area on a corner kick. Amar Sejdi was able to get a head on it and send a flying header across the penalty area. The ball was deflected into the net by Purata, who scored with another header for his fifth goal of the year. The score was now 2-1, and Atlanta United had taken the lead again.

It didn't take long for Toronto FC to tie the score twice. After a foul within the penalty area, the visitors were given a penalty kick. Federico Bernardeschi, a forward, moved up to the ball and buried a low, hard shot into the bottom right corner of the goal to even the score at two goals each. In the 74th minute, Thiago Almada scored the winning goal for Atlanta United. The cunning midfielder used his footwork to outwit the Toronto FC back line at the top of the penalty area. He found himself in an excellent position to unleash a thunderbolt and put Atlanta United up 3-2. With the goal, Almada now has five for the year. In the 88th minute, Purata made it 4-2 for Atlanta United with another header. The header was his sixth goal of the season and third of the game, giving the center back a hat trick on the night. He now holds the record for most goals scored by a defender in club history with six.

[Photography by ICONIC photographer Rachel Pearce]