Atlanta United got exactly what they paid for in record signing Emmanuel Latte Lath on Saturday night.
Fresh off his $22 million transfer from Middlesbrough, Latte Lath scored twice and helped in the build-up of the winning goal as the Five Stripes downed an upstart CF Montréal team 3–2 at Mercedes Benz Arena. Buoyed by the new signings and the Atlanta return of club legend Miguel Almirón, Ronny Deila's home head coaching debut saw the 2018 MLS Cup champions attack like they had in previous eras.
Latte Lath opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, a short-lived lead before Montreal’s Prince Owusu sent a cross in for Canadian international Nathan Saliba, who nodded home to tie the match.
Atlanta regained the lead through their star signing in the 63rd minute, but conceded another equalizer just eight minutes later. Edwin Mosquera delivered when it mattered most for his side, though, and curled in a lovely effort to beat Montreal’s Jonathan Sirois in the 85th minute to take all three points.
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While defensive woes may worry Deila, Atlanta secured the victory and started a new era for the club. They’ll now look ahead to their second match on Mar. 1 against Charlotte FC. Meanwhile, CF Montréal are set to clash with Minnesota United on the same day.
Check out the player ratings from the match below.
