Atlanta United Loses First Leg Against Herediano 3-1 In Costa Rica

Atlanta United lost their first game in the CONCACAF Champions League tournament in Costa Rica on Thursday by a score of 3 to 1 against Herediano.

United were the favorites entering the match, but costly mistakes repeatedly hurt Atlanta and led to easy goals for the Costa Rican club.

What a goal by @JOrtiz9_! @csherediano1921 now leads @atlutd 1-0 #SCCL2019 #CSHvATL pic.twitter.com/zLCaufBTWL— Scotiabank Concacaf Champions League (@TheChampions) February 22, 2019

Julian Gressel scored the one lone goal for Atlanta, which could prove vital if the team wants to advance to the next round of the tournament.

Julian Gressel's shot takes a massive deflection and somehow turns into a goal.

Herediano still on top of Atlanta United 2-1. pic.twitter.com/LS7MMfixSN— NASA Football Podcast (@NASAPodcast) February 22, 2019

The winner will ultimately be decided by aggregate score, with goals on the road serving as the tie-breaker.

That means a 2-0 victory for Atlanta would be just enough for United to advance.

However, if Atlanta allows even one goal in their next match, the team would need to score at least four to make up for last night's loss.

The second game of the series will be played at Kennesaw State University next Thursday, the 28th.