Atlanta United at FC Motagua: Match Thread and How to Watch

Late tonight, for the first time since October 30th, Atlanta United will compete in a competitive match, kicking off the Five Stripes’ second go at a CONCACAF Champions League title. Similar to last season, the draw has sent Atlanta down to Central America for the first leg. This year’s first round opponent, FC Motagua, is one of the most successful Honduran clubs, and qualified for the CCL by winning both Apertura and Clausura championships of Honduras’ first division. Despite being located in Tegucigalpa, the club must host the match more than 100 miles away in San Pedro Sula due to renovations of their home stadium. For more information about Atlanta’s newest opponent, visit DSS contributor Drew Lewis’ post highlighting “The Blue Cyclone”.

The Five Stripes travel to Honduras with a less than full roster thanks to a combination of injuries and visa issues. A total of six players won’t be with the squad for the first leg, including George Bello, Edgar Castillo, Jake Mulraney, Matheus Rossetto, Manuel Castro, and most recently Miles Robinson, injured in the Leones Negros friendly. Things could get dicey if Atlanta is forced to make any substitutions, with left back depth virtually nonexistent. However, de Boer and the rest of the club now have some previous CCL experience to draw from with last year’s campaign, especially the 3-1 defeat away to Herediano in the same stage, and realize that this match could be more difficult than it may seem.

This match will also pose some difficulties for you, the viewer, in finding a place to watch it. Last year’s CCL matches were streamed in English for free on Yahoo, but Fox Sports recently bought the English-language rights for the next three tournaments. While this is good news for the bigger matches, it’s not so good for the other matches not airing on any of Fox’s main channels. Unfortunately, this is one of them, as the Leon-LAFC match has taken priority. Because of this, the Motagua-Atlanta match has been put on Fox Soccer Plus, a channel you may or may not have paid for. Spanish-language broadcasting is a similar case, as this match is broadcast on TUDNXTRA1. Both of these should be available through FuboTV, which offers a free trial, which can be found below.

Will Atlanta United return with a favorable scoreline for Leg 2? Will the thin roster cause too many problems? Is it really CCL season if you aren’t struggling to find a live stream? Use the comment section below as your match thread, and get ready for some #5StripesAfterDark branded CCL Fever.

Atlanta United’s Lineup:

FC Motagua’s Lineup:

How to Watch:

Venue: Estadio Olímpico Metropoliano, San Pedro Sula, Honduras

Kickoff Time: Tuesday, February 18th; 10:00 P.M. EST

Available TV: Fox Soccer Plus, TUDNXTRA1

Available Streaming: FuboTV (Free Trial)

Available Radio: 92.9 The Game

This thread will be your match thread. We don’t have many rules here. We just ask that you don’t insult each other personally and treat each other with respect. Debates can get heated and that’s fine, but name-calling and petty insults will get you banned. If you see a comment that you feel is out of line, please report it and it will be dealt with.

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