Football is a cruel beast of a sport, and Saturday evening in Mercedes-Benz Stadium was one of the strangest, oddball versions of that beast that Atlanta United fans have witnessed in quite some time.
The stage was set for a hectic, chaotic match as the Five Stripes welcomed Liga MX side Cruz Azul in what equated to a knockout match. Both teams had fallen victim to Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, so a win for either side would see that team through to the true knockout rounds. The pressure was on each coach, too; Cruz Azul’s manager had been given an alleged ultimatum of “win or you’re gone” while Gonzalo Pineda has struggled to win consistently since May.