Atlanta United plays San Diego to a 1-1 draw in first matchup

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ATLANTA, Ga. (AP) — Miguel Almirón powered it past CJ dos Santos on a penalty kick in the 61st minute, Jayden Hibbert made a nice save of Hirving Lozano's header in stoppage time and Atlanta United played San Diego to a 1-1 draw on Saturday in the first-ever matchup.

Atlanta (5-13-12), which was already eliminated from playoff contention, has only one loss in its last four games.

San Diego (17-8-6), which leads the Western Conference, moved into a tie with the 2018 LAFC team for the MLS expansion record of 57 points. San Diego is also tied with St. Louis for the most wins in a debut season at 17, set in 2023.

Anders Dreyer opened the scoring in the 32nd with his 15th goal this season for San Diego. He has 33 goal contributions this season. Lozano stole it deep in Atlanta territory and fed it across the goal for a wide-open Dreyer.

A victory would have made San Diego the first team in MLS history to win eight consecutive road matches. Four other teams have won seven straight away from home, with Cincinnati the last to do so in 2024.

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