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Live updates: Follow the events surrounding the conference on Decision Day

Live updates: Follow the events surrounding the conference on Decision Day

Atlanta United must win On the road at Orlando City SC. After that, there are three more Eastern Conference games that will impact Atlanta United's playoff status.

Atlanta United 2:1 Orlando City SC ✅

In addition to a win, Atlanta United needs at least two of the following three results:

1. A loss for CF Montréal at home against New York City FC

CF Montreal 2-0 New York City FC ❌

2. A loss for DC United at home to Charlotte FC

DC United 0-2 Charlotte FC ✅

3. A draw OR a loss for Philadelphia Union at home against FC Cincinnati

Philadelphia Union 1-2 FC Cincinnati ✅

COMPLETE – ATLANTA UNITED IS IN THE PLAYOFF PLACE

In an incredible 90 minutes, Atlanta United claimed victory in Orlando. Additionally, the team received help from other teams in the conference. Wins by Charlotte FC and FC Cincinnati helped Atlanta United climb the table and extend their season.

Atlanta United has booked its ticket to the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs. They will be the No. 9 seed and face No. 8 CF Montréal in the Wild Card Game on October 22nd.

89th minute – Orlando City SC goal is called back

Well, it looked like Atlanta United's playoff dreams were dashed when Duncan Maguire finished with a volley from close range. However, according to VAR, the goal was disallowed due to handball.

There's still time, but Atlanta United's playoff hopes are still alive.

Charlotte also extended its lead against DC. They lead 3-0.

75th minute – Charlotte doubles her lead

Charlotte FC just did Atlanta another favor by extending their lead over DC United and increasing the score to 2-0.

The goal creates some breathing room and makes it harder for DC to qualify for a playoff spot. With 15 minutes left and if everything stays like this, Atlanta United would qualify for the MLS Cup Playoffs as the 9th seed.

58th minute – CHARLOTTE breaks the deadlock

Charlotte FC broke a goalless deadlock against DC United to take a 1-0 lead. This result speaks in Atlanta's favor, and for the first time Atlanta United scored tonight all scenarios It would have to qualify for the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

30 more minutes of football. Enjoy the chaos of decision day…

47th minute – Alexey Miranchuk's penalty is stopped and FC Cincinnati scores

Atlanta United were awarded a penalty kick shortly after halftime. Alexey Miranchuk took the free kick for Atlanta United. After converting his last two PKs for the 5-Stripes, he missed this one as Orlando goaltender Pedro Gallese made a huge save. Atlanta United missed the chance to extend their lead and gain some breathing room against a talented Orlando City attack.

Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati scored and took a 2-1 lead against the Philadelphia Union.

HALFTIME

At halftime, Atlanta United is ahead by one goal. They played really good balls, especially in the opening moments, which is what interim coach Rob Valentino's team wanted.

But the 5-Stripes need a little more help from the other teams in the rest of the conference. FC Cincinnati scored in second-half stoppage time against Philadelphia, helping Atlanta United's cause. But CF Montréal doubled its lead against NYCFC with a goal from former 5-stripe Josef Martínez.

Here are the results at halftime:

  • CF Montreal 2-0 NYCFC
  • DC United 0-0 Charlotte FC
  • Philadelphia Union 1-1 FC Cincinnati

If these results held, Atlanta United would finish with 40 points in the table, but that would not be enough to qualify for the postseason.

Let's hope for more goals from FC Cincinnati, NYCFC and our “friends” (for the day) in the Queen City in this second half.

42nd minute – Orlando City concedes a goal

With a two-goal deficit, the home team was able to score in the 42nd minute. After a substitution and an overlapping run that produced a long cross, the ball was sent back into the penalty area. Martín Ojeda scored Orlando's 12th goal of the season with a header, the most in the MLS.

Atlanta United leads 2-1 against Orlando City SC, but the home team looked very dangerous in the final moments of the first half.

18th minute – CF Montréal opens the scoring against NYCFC

Minutes after the good news for Atlanta United, they were immediately bombarded with bad news. CF Montréal scored their first goal in the game against New York City FC in the 18th minute with a goal from Caden Clark.

With CF Montréal three points ahead of Atlanta United in the standings, Atlanta needs a loss to CF Montréal.

16th minute – Atlanta United doubles the lead!

Atlanta United doubled their lead after a corner kick from Alexey Miranchuk. The ball deflected off the Orlando goalkeeper and bounced to Jamal Thiaré at the far post. The striker finished the game and gave Atlanta United an early 2-0 lead.

Coming into Saturday's game, the 5-Stripes wanted to get off to a good start… and they certainly did, scoring TWO GOALS in the first 16 minutes of the game.

SABA TIME! ⏱ Atlanta takes the lead in the seventh minute

A wonderful combination game, initiated by Tyler Wolff, led to Atlanta United's opening goal in Florida. In a tight space, Pedro Amador managed a nice back-and-forth with Saba Lobjanidze, the club's top goalscorer this season. Before the game, Saba said he was stuck and he showed it with his finishing, putting the ball into the net to give Atlanta United a 1-0 lead away from home.

Atlanta must win to have a shot at the playoffs today, no matter what happens in the rest of the conference. If the 5-Stripes can hold out, Saba's ninth goal of the season could prove crucial to Atlanta's season.

Second minute – Philly scores

However, the first goal that influenced Atlanta came in the second minute between Philadelphia Union and FC Cincinnati. Quinn Sullivan scored a goal for Union, giving the team an early lead.

This could hurt Atlanta United as we need a draw or loss against Philadelphia today. But it's still early. There is still a lot of football to play today.

Early minutes – goals… from Columbus and Inter Miami CF

We saw the first goals of Decision Day in the early moments of two games. Columbus Crew scored points against the New York Red Bulls. New England Revolution struck early against Supporters Shield champions Inter Miami CF. Fortunately, none of these have any impact on Atlanta United's reputation.

6:00 p.m. ET – Kickoff time at Inter&Co Stadium

We are approximately 10 minutes from kickoff in Florida between Atlanta United and Orlando City SC. All other Eastern Conference games also begin at the same time.

Atlanta United goes into the match with 37 table points, three points within reach of the final wildcard spots.

5:00 p.m. ET – Atlanta United announces starting lineup

Saturday is decision day and there is a lot at stake for Atlanta United. The club's 2024 regular season finale in Orlando will determine whether or not Atlanta United qualifies for the Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs.

We'll be following the latest developments in these three games to see what Atlanta United's chances are. So keep an eye on atlutd.com or the official Atlanta United app as you watch the game on TV or the official Atlanta United Watch Party at the Brewhouse Café to catch all the action.

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