Peyton Miller Strikes Off the Bench as New England Revolution Rally Past Atlanta United 2-1

Atlanta United took 23 shots on Wednesday night. New England took seven. Guess which team left happy.

The New England Revolution came from behind to beat Atlanta United 2-1 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, with defender Will Sands heading in his first MLS goal in the 73rd minute and substitute Peyton Miller scoring the winner five minutes later. Fafà Picault had given Atlanta a first-half lead, and Matt Turner made eight saves to make sure the Revs' late burst stood up.

A Goal That Wasn't and a Goal That Was

New England thought they had the opener in the 18th minute. Alhassan Yusuf crashed a volley in off the bar from outside the box, the kind of strike that ends up on highlight reels for a week. Then VAR stepped in, and the goal was ruled out for offside. Atlanta's recap explained that a Revolution player had been standing in an offside position in Lucas Hoyos' line of sight.

Atlanta made the most of the reprieve. In the 38th minute, Saba Lobjanidze's shot from the middle of the box was saved by Turner, but Picault was waiting to tap in the rebound from close range. Per the club, it was Picault's first MLS regular-season goal for Atlanta, and it made him the second player in MLS history to score with seven different teams.

The VAR review helped stretch the first-half stoppage time to eight minutes. Turner kept out Alexey Miranchuk from distance, Hoyos saved a Griffin Yow header at the other end, and Atlanta went into the break 1-0 up.

The Revs Flip It in Five Minutes

Atlanta kept piling up chances after the break. Matías Galarza fired off three attempts between the 52nd and 62nd minutes, Enea Mihaj forced Turner into a save with a header in the 65th, and Pedro Amador missed from the left side of the box a minute later.

Marko Mitrović's changes turned it. Diego Fagúndez came on in the 60th minute and Miller in the 66th. In the 73rd, Carles Gil swung in a corner and Sands rose at the back post to head it into the bottom left corner. It was his first MLS goal, and the club notes it was Gil's third assist of the season.

Atlanta should have regained the lead almost immediately. Lobjanidze sprinted clear in the 77th minute with only Turner to beat, but his touch ran a little wide and Turner saved. In the 78th minute, New England went ahead. Fagúndez found Gil in the box, the ball fell to Miller, and the 18-year-old finished from close range into the roof of the net.

Atlanta's response was a wave of substitutes and a wave of shots. Turner saved from Miranchuk in the 85th, Ajani Fortune in the 89th, Luke Brennan in the 90th and Emmanuel Latte Lath in stoppage time. The Revs made 50 clearances on the night, and they needed every one of them.

Players Who Mattered

Peyton Miller scored the winner off the bench. The club says it was his team-leading third goal of 2026, and all three have come as a substitute.

Will Sands scored his first MLS goal in his eighth straight start to open the season. "It felt really good," he said. "I think that moment of the game was really important, and I think it gave us the momentum to go on and get three points."

Matt Turner made a season-high eight saves, including a one-on-one stop on Lobjanidze with the score at 1-1.

Mamadou Fofana anchored the center of the defense with a season-high eight clearances and 92 percent passing, according to the club.

Carles Gil delivered the corner for the equalizer. The club says he is now the 14th player in MLS history with 90 regular-season assists.

Fafà Picault scored and made some history of his own before being substituted in the 79th minute.

Saba Lobjanidze had four shots and two on target, and will be seeing that 77th-minute chance in his sleep.

Turning Point: Turner's Stop on Lobjanidze

At 1-1, Atlanta had the game's cleanest look. Lobjanidze was through, Turner held his ground and made the save, and in the 78th minute Miller won it at the other end. Instead of 2-1 Atlanta, it was 2-1 New England.

Mitrović saw a team that refused to fold under pressure. "We are blocking first shots, second shots, third shots. For me, that's a relentless mentality," he said.

Stats That Matter

• Shots: Atlanta 23, New England 7. On target, Atlanta led 9 to 4.
• Saves: Turner made eight, Hoyos two.
• Clearances: New England 50, Atlanta four.
• Corners: Atlanta won eight to New England's three, but New England's corner produced the equalizer.
• Possession: New England had 52.1 percent.

What It Means

New England are 5-0-3 with 15 points after their fourth straight win, and the club says it was their first road win of 2026. They also extended their winning streak against Atlanta to four meetings, per the club. Mitrović enjoyed it without getting carried away. "It's great to win four games in a row and it's really not easy. It's a massive achievement," he said. The club's postgame story had the Revs third in the East, just behind second-place Inter Miami, and that is exactly who they visit on Saturday.

Atlanta are 1-1-7 with four points, and this was their fourth straight league loss, after defeats to Columbus, Chicago and Nashville. The defeat ended a homestand, and Atlanta head north to face Toronto FC on Saturday.

The Closing Take

Atlanta played like the team that wanted it more for long stretches and still lost, which is the most 2026 Atlanta thing imaginable. New England, meanwhile, are turning comebacks into a habit, like a TV show that keeps getting renewed after everyone assumed it was canceled. Sands summed up the vibe in the room. "I think this team has the potential to do great things," he said. Four wins in a row is a decent first draft.

Stats from ESPN's match data. Postgame quotes as reported by RevolutionSoccer.net; additional details from ATLUTD.com.