Atlanta United: 2020 Preview – A second MLS Cup?

2020 Outlook

Prior to the start of the regular season, Atlanta United will feature in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions League, where they will face Motagua for a place in the quarter-finals.

The schedule will mean that they play twice before the start of the MLS campaign with both the home and away legs of their CCL tie coming in the two weeks prior to the beginning of the new season. This means they face a trip south to Honduras, but fortunately for them, the away leg comes first and will be held on February 18.

After the second leg of their tie, coming at home at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on February 25, Atlanta have just four days before the start of their MLS campaign, which comes on the road in Nashville. The home side will be playing in their first-ever MLS match as one of two expansion sides for the 2020 season.

Should Atlanta make it through to the last eight of the CONCACAF Champions League, they will then face either Comunicaciones or Club America with a two-legged tie coming in early March, shortly after a couple of MLS fixtures.

Some of the Five Stripes’ biggest fixtures come over the summer period, starting with a home match against Toronto, the side that knocked them out of the playoffs in November. That comes at the end of May, before they then face New York City and Philadelphia Union, the other sides to finish in the top three of the Eastern Conference in 2019. Those two contests come over the space of just three days in the middle of June. Their regular season ends with a trip to the capital to face D.C. United on October 4th, following home ties against the Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew.

Atlanta will be aiming for another run deep into the postseason, but having lost some of the depth to their squad, they could struggle to do so. However, they are almost certain of being a playoff team once more in 2020.