MORROW, GA – Newly-renamed Atletico Atlanta drew 1-1 in their home opener against Seas Jamaica United on Saturday afternoon.
Atletico finished off a perfect 21-0-0 championship run last weekend, but couldn’t keep the winning streak going against last year’s second-place finisher in Seas Jamaica.
The Caribbean club took the lead early on through Ryan Pugh, striking first at Atletico’s home venue of Clayton State University. They would keep the 1-0 advantage all the way through halftime.
In the second half, Atletico looked like the stronger team, playing their trademark Brazilian-style possession game and creating plenty of chances. The pressure paid off when former Atlanta United player Jeffrey Otoo equalized and made it 1-1 on the day.
Seas Jamaica kept fighting and held strong defensively, but they couldn’t respond before the 90 minutes were up. That cemented a result that saw two strong teams split the honors for the first time in the series history.
Last year’s Golden Boot winner and Young Player of the Year for the entire UPSL, Akinni James, started for Atletico after transferring from Seas Jamaica last year. He couldn’t make his mark on the scoresheet in his return, and his old team seemed not to miss the 18-year old after securing a positive result against the league champions.
Atletico will look to return to winning ways next Saturday, March 20 when they play away at Rovers FC, while Seas Jamaica host Forest Rovers on Sunday, March 21.