Remedi, who signed with No. 2 seed Atlanta in
late June and made his debut in July, had one assist in 13
regular-season appearances and registered only one shot in his
last seven playing as a holding midfielder. But his goal means
United can advance to the first conference final in club history
with a draw or win in the second leg at Mercedes-Benz Stadium
next Sunday.
Atlanta also welcomed midfielder Miguel Almiron back from a
hamstring injury. The Paraguayan, who hadn't played since Oct.
6, started and played the entire first half before giving way to
Hector Villalba at the break.
No. 3 seed New York City, meanwhile, need to win and score two
or more goals to advance beyond the semifinals. A 1-0 score in
favor of NYCFC next Sunday would sent the match to extra time
and eventually penalties if still tied.
After scoring three goals each in back-to-back home wins against
Philadelphia, the first last Sunday in the final game of the
regular season and the second in a knockout- round match, NYCFC
failed to put a shot on target against United.
Remedi gave Atlanta the lead in the 37th minute on a goal that
developed from a corner kick. Julian Gressel sent an inswinging
service toward the penalty spot, where Josef Martinez side
volleyed it toward goal. Goalkeeper Sean Johnson dove to keep
Martinez's initial effort out, but Remedi was first to the
rebound, poking it over the line after it bounced off the right
post.
Atlanta had briefly appeared to have already taken the lead 17
minutes earlier off another corner. But a video review showed
Almiron, the eventual scorer on the sequence, had been offside
earlier on the buildup to his strike.
New York increased the pressure after halftime, but Atlanta came
closest to adding another goal deep in the second half. After
Martinez was dispossessed on a dangerous-looking run, the ball
fell to Greg Garza, who forced Johnson to push away a
well-struck, 20-yard effort heading toward the top right corner.
--Field Level Media
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