Atlanta United faces visiting Charlotte FC on Saturday night in the latest chapter of the two clubs’ Southern rivalry.
Atlanta (6-12-3, 21 points) has climbed back into the Eastern Conference playoff race on the strength of a three-match win streak, its longest in MLS regular-season play since 2021. It enters Saturday in 12th place in the East but is just three points below the postseason cutoff line.
With 13 matches remaining, there’s added urgency in Atlanta United’s locker room heading into a key weekend showdown.
“We always have to play for our lives to achieve the victories, and so … all of the matches we have left, we should treat them as if they were a final, in order to keep stacking points,” defender Paulo Diaz said in Spanish on Thursday.
Charlotte (9-7-5, 32 points) is 5-1-2 in its past eight MLS matches and enters play fifth in the East. Both of those draws, though, saw it blow two-goal leads, including a 2-2 home result against Atlanta on July 22.
Charlotte FC has been buoyed this season by attacker Pep Biel (11 goals, eight assists), whose 46 career goal contributions with the club put him two behind Karol Swiderski for the most in Charlotte’s brief history.
“I’m very proud to achieve something like this. From the first day I came, I said that I came here to put Charlotte more in the top, so I’m very happy to help,” Biel said on Thursday, according to the Charlotte Ledger.
Charlotte is winless in both of its meetings against Atlanta in 2026, including a 2-0 loss in the U.S. Open Cup Round of 16 on Apr. 28. But Atlanta has lost the past three meetings between the teams at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Miguel Almiron, who had a pair of assists during Atlanta’s 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday, has three goals and three assists in his last six matches.
Atlanta left back Elias Baez will miss Saturday’s match due to yellow-card accumulation.
–Field Level Media
