Atlanta United traveled up to St. Louis, Missouri for their final preseason game of the season on the 18th (my birthday!) and got a 2-1 win to hopefully put the team in the right mood heading into the season opener against San Jose on the 25th. The game saw both Thiago Almada and Luiz Araujo score. Araujo found the back of the net after ten minutes, the hosts then leveled before Almada converted from the spot.
Because this game was behind closed doors what was more interesting than the two paragraph game rundown was the lineups. Luke Brennan got his first start for the first team after scoring against Toluca in the AMFAM cup and both Derrick Etienne Jr. and Luis Abram were on the team sheet for the first time, both coming off the bench. This is very good news as it means that Abram has got his work permits and will be available to play in the home opener, which is especially important because of our very shaky at times defense. Both Brad Guzan and Miles Robinson were also back in the squad, expected but good none the less. The last takeaway from the team roster was the absence of a Greek striker, meaning that Gigi probably still hasn't gotten his work permit.