Miguel Almirón Becomes Atlanta United's All-Time Assist Leader With Three in 3-1 Win Over Union

Miguel Almirón did not score on Saturday. He did not need to. The Paraguayan set up all three Atlanta United goals, and by the time he walked off late in the afternoon, MLS said he had become the club's all-time leader in assists.

Atlanta United beat the Philadelphia Union 3-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for its first win of 2026, with Emmanuel Latte Lath, Tomás Jacob and Aleksey Miranchuk each finishing an Almirón pass in front of 35,308 fans. For Philadelphia, the AP noted, it extended the worst start in club history.

Philly Starts Fast, Atlanta Strikes First

The Union came out with intent. Bruno Damiani dragged a shot just wide in the third minute after a fast break and a cross from Indiana Vassilev, and Milan Iloski tried his luck twice in the opening 11 minutes. Atlanta's first real chance came in the 15th, when Jacob crossed and Latte Lath, at very close range, was denied by Andre Blake. A minute later, VAR took a look at a possible Atlanta penalty and decided against it.

Then the connection that would define the day clicked for the first time. In the 28th minute, Almirón slipped a pass to Latte Lath, and the striker hit a right-footed shot from outside the box into the bottom right corner. 1-0, and Latte Lath's first goal of the season, per the club.

Almirón kept feeding teammates. He set up shots for Tristan Muyumba in the 31st minute and Elías Báez in the 34th, and both were blocked. Jacob headed wide from a Cooper Sanchez corner delivery in the 37th.

The Turning Point: Iloski Hits the Post

Philadelphia had a golden chance to wipe all of it out. In the 40th minute, Báez fouled Damiani in the box, was booked and gave away a penalty. Iloski stepped up in the 43rd and hit the left post. Eight minutes of added time later, Atlanta went into the break still ahead.

Two minutes after the restart, the game effectively ended. The club described Almirón reaching the byline after build-up down the left and sending the ball across the box, out of Latte Lath's reach and on to Jacob at the far post. ESPN logged his right-footed finish as coming from a difficult angle on the right, through the middle of the goal. 2-0 in the 47th, and Atlanta said it was his first goal for the club. The AP described Jacob as a 21-year-old rookie defender.

Almirón Writes the History

Philadelphia threw on Ezekiel Alladoh, Augustín Anello and Alejandro Bedoya in the 57th minute, and the Union had a little spell. Danley Jean Jacques missed to the left in the 61st, Lucas Hoyos saved from Philippe Ndinga in the 62nd and Anello sent a shot just over in the 63rd.

Atlanta answered with the record-setter. In the 68th minute, Almirón played a through ball to Miranchuk, who slotted a left-footed shot into the bottom left corner. 3-0. The AP said it was Miranchuk's third goal in his last two matches.

The Union kept swinging. Damiani headed a corner just wide in the 74th, Frankie Westfield smashed a shot off the crossbar in the 76th, and Hoyos pushed away another Westfield effort in the 81st. Philly finally broke through in the 87th, when Westfield headed the ball across and Anello finished from very close range. The Union called it Anello's first goal for the club. It also cost Hoyos what the AP said would have been his first clean sheet.

Star Watch

Start with Almirón. ESPN credited him with three assists, and MLS said it was his first-ever hat trick of assists in a league game and the third multi-assist performance of his MLS career. The league also said he became the club's all-time leader in assists with 38 in the MLS regular season. Atlanta added that he is the third player in club history to record three assists in one match.

"I think we are all getting used to the system Tata wants us to play," Almirón said.

Latte Lath scored on one of his two shots, both on target. Jacob scored and also earned a yellow card late. Miranchuk scored on one of his two attempts. Hoyos made two saves in what the AP said was his fourth league start.

Tata Martino, who the AP said earned his first win since returning to Atlanta after coaching Inter Miami in 2023-24, kept his feet on the ground.

"It generates a lot of confidence as a coach," Martino said. "We can't be satisfied with just this. We need to be able to continue to build from here."

Stats That Matter

• Possession: Philadelphia 58.1 percent, Atlanta 41.9 percent.
• Shots on target: Atlanta 4 of 10, and 3 of those went in; Philadelphia 3 of 14.
• Crosses: Philadelphia attempted 36 and completed 7.
• Clearances: Atlanta 46, Philadelphia 10.
• Discipline: Atlanta took four yellow cards; Philadelphia took none.

What It Means

Atlanta is 1-0-3 with 3 points. MLS said the result snapped a three-game losing streak to start the season, after defeats at Cincinnati and San Jose and a 3-2 home loss to Real Salt Lake. The AP said Atlanta is now 5-1-4 all time at home against Philadelphia. Up next is D.C. United on Saturday, March 21, the third of four straight home games, according to the club.

Philadelphia is 0-0-4 with no points after losses at D.C. United and at home to New York City FC and San Jose. The club said Bradley Carnell sent out his fourth new lineup, with Stas Korzeniowski making his first MLS start. The Union head to Mexico next for the second leg of their Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16 series against Club América, then host the Chicago Fire on Saturday, per the AP.

Closing Take

MLS called this a reunion of key figures from Atlanta's 2018 MLS Cup-winning team, and it played like one of those comeback tours where the band opens with the greatest hits. Almirón ran the show, Martino got his first win back, and Mercedes-Benz Stadium finally had something to sing about. For Philadelphia, four games in, the setlist is still all sad songs.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Additional reporting from the AP via ESPN; postgame quotes as reported by mlssoccer.com; club notes from Atlanta United (atlutd.com) and the Philadelphia Union (philadelphiaunion.com).