Atlanta edges Philadelphia; reaches 2nd straight Eastern Conference Finals.

    Atlanta United edged past Philadelphia Union in the MLS Eastern Conference Semifinals last night. Atlanta fans bought the noise as they watched the five stripes play a determined Union team.
    Led by Josef Martiniez up top, Atlanta’s Julian Gressel scored early on, in a perfect chip over the diving body of Philadelphia goalkeeper, Andre Blake. For the rest of the half, Atlanta got the ball forward and attacked the net. However, another goal wouldn’t happen until the 2nd half when Josef Martinez hammered the ball into the top left corner. Philadelphia couldn’t find a groove throughout the game, and that came to hunt them in the long run.
    The Union, who were 1st of the East for 17 out of the 34 regular season games, season has now ended. Despite the loss, it was a historic season for Philadelphia, they grabbed their first postseason win in history, and their young team is looking like a potential contender for the future. Meanwhile, Atlanta, the defending MLS Cup Champions, are looking to go to back-to-back MLS Cup Finals. They will play Toronto FC on Wednesday in the Mercedes Benz as the look to continue their run for a US Treble (U.S. Open Cup, Campeones Cup, and MLS Cup).

Written by Chris Dailey

image via https://www.dirtysouthsoccer.com