MLS Capsules: Atlanta United wins home opener before another record crowd

ATLANTA – With another record crowd cheering them on, Atlanta United bounced back from an ugly performance in the season opener.

Miguel Almiron scored a goal and set up another about two minutes apart in the second half, leading Atlanta to a 3-1 victory over D.C. United before 72,035 on Sunday.

In the home opener, Atlanta broke its own single-game mark of 71,874 for a game against Toronto last October in its inaugural season . United has now drawn three crowds of more than 70,000 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where fans crammed into standing-room-only balconies behind one goal and temporary seating was needed at the top of the massive facility.

Josef Martinez scored the team’s first goal of 2018 in the 24th minute off a pass from Hector Villalba , who threaded the ball between the legs of Washington defender Steve Birnbaum to his sliding teammate right in front of the net.

Almiron took control in the second half, sealing the victory for Atlanta.

In the 73rd minute, he controlled the ball in midfield and dumped it off on the right wing, before taking a return pass from Julian Gressel right at the top of the penalty area. Almiron unleashed a powerful left-footed shot into the top left corner of the net , leaving no chance for goalkeeper David Ousted.

Almiron was at it again in the 75th, sending a pass into the area that Villalba flicked into the top right corner with a nifty header .

Darren Mattocks finally broke through for D.C. United in the 86th minute, scoring off his team’s only shot on goal.

New York City 2, L.A. Galaxy 1

NEW YORK – Anton Tinnerholm had his first MLS goal and David Villa scored another to help New York City FC beat the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Tinnerholm blasted a left-footed volley to give NYCFC (2-0-0) the lead in the 22nd minute. Villa’s cross, off a feed from Jesus Medina, deflected high off Michael Ciani and Tinnerholm, a 27-year-old defender from Sweden, rifled it off the crossbar.

Sean Johnson made a diving save of a sliding half-volley by Ola Kamara in the 27th and Villa made it 2-0 in the 33rd. Medina, on a counter-attack breakaway, touched it around a defender and then fed a left-footed cross to Ben Sweatt, whose shot from near the spot was stopped by a charging David Bingham. Villa tapped the rebound into the open net.

Jonathan dos Santos, from point-blank range, re-directed a cross from Emmanuel Boateng past Johnson to cap the scoring in the 60th.

New York City, which has lost just two regular-season home matches since June 2, 2016, outshot the Galaxy (1-1-0) 20-7.