Liel Abada scored twice to help visiting Charlotte FC to a 3-2 win against Atlanta United on Sunday.
Charlotte (7-6-4, 25 points) had been winless in its past three (0-1-2).
Thiago Almada tallied for Atlanta (4-8-4, 16 points), which has lost five straight home matches.
The hosts controlled the ball for much of the first half, managing nine shot attempts, including three on target, while owning nearly 60 percent of the touches. Charlotte had just two shots, one on target.
Saba Lobjanidze had several early chances for Atlanta United, including sending one over the crossbar in the second minute and a shot from the top left corner of the box that rolled just past the right post in the ninth minute.
By the 26th minute, the hosts built up a 7-0 advantage in shot attempts.
Atlanta finally connected in the 35th minute. Lobjanidze directed a pass toward Almada that deflected off a Charlotte player en route, and Almada quickly fired a left-foot strike into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.
Charlotte benefitted from an own goal in the 40th minute to tie it. Defender Jere Uronen took a corner, and his shot deflected off Derrick Williams in front. The play was initially ruled a save when goalkeeper Josh Cohen dived to get his hand on the ball, but the call was overturned after video review confirmed the ball completely crossed the line.
Abada put Charlotte ahead 2-1 in the 56th minute when he fired one off his right foot from outside the box into the lower right corner.
In the 68th minute, Abada had time and space inside the box to tally his second of the match for a 3-1 lead.
Atlanta, which had been quiet for much of the second half, pulled within one in the 76th minute. Xande Silva took a cross through the box from Ajani Fortune and sent it through a pair of defenders into the far side, cutting it to 3-2.
–Field Level Media
