MATCH RECAP: Atlanta United falls to Club Necaxa after late collapse in Leagues Cup opener

By Favian Renkel

Atlanta United opened its Leagues Cup campaign with a 3-1 loss to Club Necaxa on Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, continuing a trend of early losses for MLS clubs in the tournament.

Head coach Ronny Deila opted to rest several starters, including designated player Latte Lath, who began the match on the bench. That decision aligned with a broader pattern across the league, with coaches using the competition to rotate lineups and manage minutes.

In front of an announced crowd of 30,847, the home side looked poised to earn its first regulation Leagues Cup win, but defensive errors and missed opportunities proved costly.

Club Necaxa took an early lead after a bizarre own goal from Brad Guzan, who saw the ball deflect off him and into the net after a wicked bounce — one of the more unfortunate sequences in recent memory for the veteran goalkeeper.

Atlanta responded quickly. In the 29th minute, Alexey Miranchuk found the equalizer, mirroring his recent scoring form from MLS play. His finish brought the match level at 1-1 and injected life into the stadium.

Necaxa matched Atlanta’s intensity, going toe to toe throughout the first half. Around the hour mark, Deila turned to his bench and brought on Latte Lath and others in an effort to spark the attack.

Atlanta appeared to catch a break when a handball in the box led to a penalty call, but a VAR review overturned the decision. That shift in momentum opened up the match, with both sides generating one-on-one chances as fatigue set in.

In the 77th minute, Necaxa capitalized. A broken corner led to an unmarked Tomás Badaloni powering a header past Guzan to give the Liga MX side a 2-1 advantage. Atlanta pushed for an equalizer, but lacked the finishing touch.

Badaloni sealed the result with his second of the night, placing a composed finish past Guzan in the final minutes to earn man of the match honors and send Atlanta to a frustrating defeat.

With the loss, Atlanta United now faces added pressure heading into its next group stage match. If Deila’s side hopes to advance, it must find sharper execution in the final third and eliminate costly defensive miscues.

REACTIONS:

• Necaxa
  • Head Coach Fernando Gago
    • “The game went very good in what we were trying to do.”
    • On the change from Cambindo to Baldoni: “The change was because of fatigue.”
• Atlanta
  • Head Coach Ronny Deila
    • “I don't know what to say. I think we get tired, especially in defense.”
    • “I really like the way we're playing. I see so much positive things. But it's very tough to sit there and talk about that. When you lose 3-1in this game"

PLAYERS OF THE MATCH:

• Necaxa:
  • Tomas Baldaloni, has yet to score this season in Liga MX, but had two versus Atlanta United
• Atlanta:
  • Aleksei Miranchuk, the Designated Player now has two goals in two games for Atlanta United

GAME NOTES:

• Necaxa is one of four Liga MX teams to score 3+ goals already this tournament
• Necaxa tied their highest goal total in a Leagues Cup match, also did it last year versus the Sounders.
• Atlanta United lost in regulation for the second time in Leagues Cup history, the other was in 2023 vs Inter Miami

CARDS/INJURY REPORT:

Yellow Cards:

• Necaxa: Diego De Buen
• Atlanta: Ronald Hernández, Luke Brennan

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Necaxa's next match will be versus Inter Miami CF on August 2nd
• Atlanta's next game will be versus Pumas in Orlando on August 2nd