July 28, 2021 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Atlanta United 2 News Release
KENNESAW, Ga. – Atlanta United 2 retuned to the win column with a 2-1 win versus FC Tulsa Wednesday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium. Amadou Macky Diop and Ajani Fortune both netted their first goal of the season, while Abdoulaye Diop made his first appearance of the season.
Atlanta controlled the tempo from the outset. After a few opportunities early in the match, ATL UTD 2 opened the scoring in the 24th minute. Macky Diop ran onto the ball in the box and was pushed from behind, which was deemed a penalty by the referee. The forward stepped up to the penalty spot and slotted it to the bottom left corner out of the reach of goalkeeper Austin Wormell.
Tulsa earned its own penalty in the 42nd minute. Rodrigo da Costa fired a low shot to the right corner, but Rocco Ríos Novo denied the forward with a stretching save.
In the 49th minute, Atlanta extended its lead. Aiden McFadden drove into the final third and found Robbie Mertz streaking down the middle of the field. Then, Mertz slid to poke a pass to Fortune near the left post, where the 18-year-old finished a one-time shot.
Tulsa found twine in the 55th minute to bring it to a one-goal game. Marlon drove down the right flank and served a driven ball into the box, where da Costa was able to redirect it to the far side netting.
Atlanta completed the match with 17 totals shots while holding Tulsa to seven.
ATL UTD 2 (4-6-5, 17 points) will return to action against Birmingham Legion FC, July 31 at BBVA Compass Stadium (ESPN+, 7:30 p.m. ET).
MATCH INFO
Atlanta 2, Tulsa 1
Fifth Third Bank Stadium
Kennesaw, GA
STATS
Shots: 17-7 Atlanta
Shots on Target: 6-3 Atlanta
Corner kicks: 4-4
Fouls committed: 15-8 Atlanta
Offside: 6-1 Tulsa
Possession: 51-49 Atlanta
Passing Accuracy: 81-80 Atlanta
SCORING SUMMARY
ATL – Amadou Macky Diop 25′
ATL – Ajani Fortune (Robbie Mertz, Aiden McFadden) 49′
TUL – Rodrigo da Costa (Marlon) 55′
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
ATL – Bradley Kamdem Fewo (yellow) 14′
TUL – Bradley Bourgeois (yellow) 18′
ATL – Darwin Matheus (yellow) 90+3′
ATL UTD 2 STARTING LINEUP
Rocco Ríos Novo; Bryce Washington, Bradley Kamdem Fewo ©, Caleb Wiley, Noah Cobb; Chris Allan (Abdoulaye Diop – 71′), Aiden McFadden, Ajani Fortune (Brendan Lambe – 57′); Robbie Mertz, Amodou Macky Diop (Phillip Goodrum – 71′), Connor Stanley (Darwin Matheus – 88′)
Substitutes not used: Vincente Reyes, Alexander Garuba
FC TULSA STARTING LINEUP
Austin Wormell; Modou Jadama, Matthew Sheldon (Leo Folla – 82′), Jorge Corrales, Bradley Bourgeois ©; Eric Bird, Lebo Moloto (Kembo Kibato – 62′), Joaquin Rivas, Marlon (Lucas Coutinho – 82′); Dario Suárez (Ciaran Winters – 74′), Rodrigo da Costa
Substitutes not used: Raphael Ayagwa, Solomon Kwambe, Sean Lewis
OFFICIALS
JJ Bilinksi, (referee), Brian Marshall, (assistant), Ben Rigel, (assistant), Kevin Huet, (fourth official)
TEAM NOTES
Amadou Macky Diop tallied his first goal of the season.
Ajani Fortune netted his first goal of the season.
Abdoulaye Diop made his first appearance of the season.
Phillip Goodrum appeared in his first match since May 1.
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