ATL UTD 2 RECAP: Atlanta, Louisville City draw 1-1 after Andrew Carleton’s late penalty

Atlanta United 2 keep their undefeated streak in tact after Andrew Carleton’s last-gasp penalty conversion in the 90th minute against defending USL champions Louisville City.

It wasn’t a pretty performance, as Atlanta stayed on the back foot for the majority of the match. The most memorable detail of ATL UTD 2’s first half was the performance of goalkeeper Nicolas Caraux, who came up big on multiple occasions.

What seemed like an unlikely breakthrough for the Five Stripes came to nothing, as Andrew Carleton skied a penalty attempt in the 58th minute after Devon Sandoval was tripped inside the box.

That would come back to haunt them, as Louisville’s Cameron Lancaster scored in the 66th minute after a midfield turnover from Atlanta.

An inevitable loss seemed certain until Carleton redeemed himself by drawing a penalty at the death and converting it to send the team home with a point. This marked Carleton’s first ever professional goal.

Carleton and Miles Robinson both started for the reserves after making appearances for the the first team earlier in their campaign.

Even with the goal, Carleton still struggled to make a positive impact on the match. Most of his attempts at creativity ultimately fell flat and his passing accuracy paid the price. However, if those mistakes are going to be made, this is the stage to make them on. It’ll be interesting to see if Carleton continues to make USL appearances in the coming weeks.

Robinson on the other hand was sensational and won just about every ball that came his way. His sole MLS appearance against LAFC has done wonders for his confidence.

Next up for the Five Stripers is a midweek home match against the Charleston Battery this Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Battery could feature Atlanta United loanees Patrick Okonkwo and Gordon Wild.

Lineup(4-3-3): Caraux, Bello, Cochran, Robinson, Metcalf, Shannon, Goslin, Carleton, Gallagher, Samuel, Sandoval

Goals: Andrew Carleton(90’)

Substitutions: Shawn Nicklaw for George Bello(59’), Lagos Kunga for Sandoval(67’), Jose Carranza for Jon Gallagher(73’),