ATLANTA — Atlanta United defeated D.C. United 3-1 behind Josef Martinez who notched his sixth career hat-trick to break the all-time MLS record. Martinez also increased his league-leading goal tally to 22 and needs six more to break the league’s single-season scoring record. Homegrown Andrew Carleton made his first career MLS start and recently acquired Eric Remedi made his team debut, coming on as a substitute in the 77th minute for Tito Villalba.
D.C. United took an early lead in the eighth minute from Zoltan Stieber who finished off a counterattack. Exposed in the back with just Michael Parkhurst and Leandro Gonzalez Pirez behind for Atlanta, Paul Arriola raced down the center of the pitch and played the Hungarian winger out wide to the right. On the edge of the box, Stieber’s first touch put him roughly 15 yards out where he unleashed a left-footed shot toward the far corner for his fourth goal of the season.
Atlanta responded before halftime as Martinez finished off a long play with a variety of build-up. After taking on a defender, Carleton slipped a ball in for Martinez near the edge of the box that Martinez back-heeled for Miguel Almirón. The Paraguayan then played the ball out wide to Tito Villalba, who immediately drilled a cross into the box that Martinez was able to redirect into the back of the net to equalize.
Martinez then put Atlanta ahead for good in the 54th minute by heading in his second goal of the night. The play started along the right wing, as Carleton deked by Luciano Acosta to free himself to float a cross toward the back post. The ball took a slight deflection off of a D.C. United defender that went right to Martinez who calmly headed it into the back of the net.
He finished off his hat trick in the 72nd minute as Atlanta broke through on a counterattack. Almirón picked up a loose ball and ran toward goal despite being outnumbered and slide a ball through for Martinez. Steve Birnbaum tried to clear, but Martinez won the ball back and was in alone on David Ousted, where he juked the goalkeeper and tapped the ball in to finish his hat-trick.
Atlanta United (13-4-5, 44 points) returns to MLS action when it travels to face Montreal Impact on Saturday, July 28 at Stade Saputo
