Atlanta United will be searching for better play on both ends of the pitch in a bid to snap a four-match losing streak on Saturday when they visit a Toronto FC side frustrated by recent defensive struggles.
Atlanta (1-7-1, four points) came into 2026 with high expectations after the return of manager Tata Martino, who led the club in its first two years in MLS and finished that tenure with a 2018 MLS Cup title.
But so far, Martino has overseen only a continuation of the struggles under previous manager Ronny Deila.
Atlanta lost consecutive home matches, a 2-0 decision to Nashville on Saturday night and a 2-1 setback to New England on Wednesday. And in three of the latest four losses, Martino’s group has conceded multiple goals after halftime.
“I don’t think it’s a question of how we play in the first or second half,” Martino said Friday through an interpreter. “I think it’s just a matter of being more consistent and how we’re able to limit mistakes. And when I talk about errors, I’m not just talking about when we’re conceding goals, but also moments where we have a chance to assure the result.”
Alexey Miranchuk, who leads Atlanta with four goals, and Fafa Picault have been the only goal scorers during the four-game slide.
Toronto (3-2-4, 13 points) is unbeaten in its last seven MLS matches. But the last three of those were draws, including consecutive 3-3 results at home to Austin on Saturday and Philadelphia on Wednesday.
In each of those, it took a late equalizer to secure a share of the points. Kobe Franklin leveled in the 88th minute last weekend and Luka Gavran struck deep in second-half stoppage time in midweek.
Center back Walker Zimmerman also was limited to 65 minutes on Wednesday in his return from an 18-day layoff with a minor calf issue.
“We’re not always gonna keep a clean sheet,” defender Zane Monlouis said, as reported by TFC Republic. “That’s obviously the goal. But things happen sometimes. There are areas where we need to improve, and I think we’re just working to keep the goals down, try to keep clean sheets as much as we can.”
Atlanta’s Miguel Almiron remains out with a knee injury.
–Field Level Media
