Atlanta United survive penalty shootout to secure MLS playoff berth

The win caps off an incredible turnaround for Atlanta, which entered the final game of the MLS regular season facing an uphill battle to obtain the final Eastern Conference wild-card spot. It beat those odds — and fourth-seeded Orlando City — on the final day to snatch the wild-card place away from D. C. United.

From there, Atlanta had just 72 hours to travel from Florida to Canada to face CF Montreal in the wild-card match. As the away team and the lower seed, Atlanta was widely expected to struggle.

A strong first-half performance featuring goals from Brooks Lennon and Stian Gregerson saw Atlanta take a shocking lead. Montreal looked timid, overawed and unsure of how to play through Atlanta's defensive block. But Montreal roared back in the second half to tie the match at 2-2 thanks to a bravura performance from Venezuelan striker Josef Martinez. The ex-Atlanta man scored once from open play and once from the spot to take the match into a penalty kick tiebreaker, where the momentum was all in Montreal's favor.

Atlanta's veterans made sure that momentum didn't ruin their night. Goalkeeper Brad Guzan — the first over-40 athlete to appear in the MLS postseason since 2019 — saved one penalty to give Atlanta the advantage, while 37-year-old Dax McCarty slammed home the decisive kick to seal Atlanta's victory. McCarty has announced his intention to retire at the end of this MLS season, so it's fitting that his goal was the one to keep Atlanta's season alive.

Atlanta will now turn its attention to Inter Miami. Atlanta may be an unlikely challenger for the 2024 Supporters' Shield winners, but truthfully, Miami will not be happy to see it; Atlanta went undefeated against the Herons this season and outscored them 5-3.

Miami and Atlanta will kick off their first-round playoff match at Chase Stadium this Friday.