Atlanta United II made it three wins on the spin against Orlando City II in MLS Next Pro on Friday, the hosts running out 5-1 victors at Kennesaw State University Football Stadium. To be fair, the visitors had looked shaky for a while now — they'd lost four of their last five before the break — and this was a match they paid for early.
The second half started with more urgency than the first, and Atlanta struck twice in quick succession. C. Dunbar opened the scoring on 45 minutes plus two, then I. Haruna doubled the lead on 45 plus seven before the whistle. By then Orlando had already thrown on A. Chikamso at 19 minutes, a substitution that hadn't quite stemmed the tide. Dunbar added his second on 52 minutes, and the game was effectively over.
Orlando pulled two more men off before the hour mark — D. Sibrian and N. Miller on 46 — but the damage was done. A. Kovac worked the fourth on 74 minutes after a short corner, and P. Weah sealed it on 90 plus two. Kovac grabbed his second on 90 plus four as the hosts refused to go away until the final whistle. A. Henry picked up a yellow on 61 minutes, and that was the only card for the visitors in a match where they rarely threatened.
Atlanta dominated possession at 51 per cent and registered six shots on target, while Orlando managed three. Both sides had two offsides, but the shots tell the story — six off target for the hosts against just two for the visitors. There were 118 attacks from Atlanta compared to 110 from Orlando, but quality over quantity was the theme here.
The result moves Atlanta up to third in the table with 42 points from 25 games, while Orlando remain sixth on 38 points. Both sides have played the same number of games, won the same number, and lost the same number — but this afternoon made all the difference. The hosts have the deeper squad and the momentum, and Orlando will need to regroup quickly.