Atlanta United took advantage of Philadelphia Union going down two men to win 3-1 in front of 45,140 fans under the stars in a Mercedes Benz Stadium with the roof open.
In a bizarre set of events, the Union’s experienced midfielders completely lost their composure and placed their team in a extremely difficult position when collected two red cards within 30 seconds. Atlanta rolled Philadelphia peppering a club-record 31 shot attempts which was the fifth most all-time in a MLS history. The home side continues their struggle to finish chances, when they converted only 3 of those 31 shots into goals.
Josef Martínez used the advantageous situation to collect his fifth career hat trick, tying an all-time MLS record within the first 34 matches. Martínez continues his assault on MLS records and his first golden boot, he is currently leading the league with 12 goals.
The Union showed excellent resolve and played a very resilient match in the face of adversity. Philadelphia Union head coach Jim Curtin spoke to the effort and quality of his squad, “Young guys in an tough atmosphere, with an incredible team in Atlanta, to keep them at bay and only concede two penalty kicks for down a man for almost 80 minutes if you add extra time. So in a strange way, it is a
positive, it is something our fans can look at and say that team fights, that team does not quit, that team will do anything for our fans and for the badge…”
Scoring
Martínez was awarded the penalty after being taken down inside the box by Union defender Auston Trusty. He crushed the shot in the 21st minute after the series of events that saw two Union players sent off.
Automatic.@JosefMartinez17 slams it home to take the lead! https://t.co/kQLqqjy6DG
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 3, 2018
Another angle of the shot:
31 goals in 34 games.
With 5 hat tricks, @josefmartinez17 is now tied for the all-time @MLS record pic.twitter.com/q05f95YIv4
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 3, 2018
It was not until the 49th minute when Martínez netted a cross from Miguel Almirón. Mikey Ambrose played a beautifully weighted pass to Almirón to the end line, Almirón then squared a ball into the six-yard box that Martínez easily finished.
Miggy. Josef. Goal. Fusion. ? https://t.co/j68InwElW9
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 3, 2018
Atlanta put the game out of reach in the 83rd minute when Martínez completed the hat trick . A penalty was awarded upon video review of a Fabinho on a hand ball inside of the box. Martinez blasted a shot into the upper-left corner, leaving keeper Blake no chance to make the save.
Make that FIVE hat tricks for @JosefMartinez17!
He's now tied for the all-time @MLS record ? https://t.co/jYWjzZ1z4h
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 3, 2018
Personnel Details
Josef Martínez was the second-fastest player in league history to reach 30 career goals, and is currently the MLS leader in goals. After the match teammate Darlington Nagbe had this to say about his striker, “He showed how hungry he is. Even in training, he wants to score goals and cares about scoring goals. He’s a winner and goal scorer, and he does big things for our team. He’s a great striker.”
Line-ups
Atlanta United
- GK: Brad Guzan
- Defenders (3): Leandro González Pirez, Michael Parkhurst, Franco Escobar
- Midfielders (5): Chris McCann, Julian Gressel, Jeff Larentowicz, Darlington Nagbe, Miguel Almirón
- Forwards (2): Josef Martinez (Romario Williams 79’), Ezequiel Barco (Brandon Vavquez 85’)
Unused Substitutes
- Alec Kann, Andrew Carleton, Miles Robinson, Kevin Kratz, Sal Zizzo
Philadelphia Union
- GK: Andre Blake
- Defenders (4): Fabinho, Mark McKenzie, Auston Trusty, Raymon Gaddis
- Defensive Midfielders (2): Haris Medunjanin, Alejando Bedoya
- Attaching Midfielders (3): Fafa Picault, Borek Dockal (Warren Creavalle – 23’), Marcus Epps (Ilsinho – 57’)
- Forwards (1): C.J. Sapong (Cory Burke – 66’)
Unused Substitutes
- John McCarthy, Keegan Rosenberry, Jack Elliott, David Accam
Up Next
Atlanta United return to action against Charleston Battery on Wednesday, June 6 in the Fourth Round of the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. The team returns to MLS action when they travel to New York City to face NYCFC on Saturday, June 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the Bronx at Yankee Stadium.
