Long after the confetti is cleared and the champagne is cleaned up, Saturday is a night that will live long in the memory of everyone in the city of Atlanta. 23 years after the Atlanta Braves last lifted a championship for this city, the Five Stripes brought the city back to glory. In front of a crowd that left the world stunned, Atlanta United was crowned MLS Cup champions.
But before they could do that, they had to get past a Portland Timbers side that they’d never beaten before. But Tata Martino had found the balance that had worked so well so far in the postseason, so he lined up his squad the same way he has during United’s entire unbelievable postseason run: Brad Guzan (GK), Greg Garza (LB), Leandro González Pirez (CB), Michael Parkhurst (CB), Franco Escobar (RB), Jeff Larentowicz (CM), Eric Remedi (CM), Darlington Nagbe (CM), Miguel Almirón (FWD), Josef Martinez (FWD).