Ronny Deila lauded his Atlanta United team for finally showing their "killer instinct" to end their eight-game winless run against FC Cincinnati. 

Atlanta had picked up their lowest points tally after 14 matches of a season coming into their last game, but turned on the style at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium to earn a 4-2 win. 

Derrick Williams, Ajani Fortune, Bartosz Slisz and substitute Jamal Thiare were all on target, helping the Five Stripes move up to 12th in the Eastern Conference table. 

Deila had been critical of his players, calling his team "soft" as they slid down the standings, but was left extremely happy by the response his side showed to halt their slump. 

"When you see that determination on set plays, when you see that people want to score, then you see a different team," Deila said. 

"You see that we want to clear the ball, and we are first to the ball in the box. These kinds of things are key.

"We just need to understand that we can beat anybody, but we can also lose against anybody.

"This has to be the minimum when we talk about discipline, when we talk about the killer instinct inside the boxes. Then we can prove our style and our play going forward."

Atlanta will be hoping to continue their winning momentum against Orlando City SC in midweek, but face a stern test against Oscar Pareja's in-form side. 

Duncan McGuire scored the only goal in their 1-0 win over the Portland Timbers last time out, with the Lions now unbeaten in their last 12 league matches. 

They have also now kept a clean sheet in seven of their 15 games. No team has done this more in the MLS, and Pareja lauded his team for their display at Inter&Co Stadium. 

"I may exaggerate and say that this is one of the best performances in the first half that we have had," Pareja said.

"It's true that the second half was not similar, we started losing territory. Portland had the ball and the opportunities while they had possession and the initiative, we couldn't get out from there.

"It was hard to keep the ball longer. It was hard for us to find our connections that we found in the first half, and it was hard to retain the ball, especially in the last 10-15 minutes.

"Our sequence was shorter, but again, the way the team defended was super and it let us have the feeling of solidness that we needed. So again, I'm proud of the boys, they deserve all the credit.

"We believed the last two days, bouncing back from that Open Cup game and how they bounced back and supported each other. It was a great night."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Atlanta United – Aleksey Miranchuk

Miranchuk was key to Atlanta's victory over Cincinnati, grabbing his first two assists of the season, which went along with a fine individual display. 

Indeed, the Russian ended with team-high totals for chances created (three) and final third entries (seven) and he will be looking to have a similar impact this weekend. 

Orlando City SC – Duncan McGuire

McGuire ended his MLS goal drought with his goal against Portland, scoring for the first time since October 2024, when he netted against the Philadelphia Union.

The American has scored once in his five appearances against Atlanta too and has been on the winning side in two of those matches against them (D1 L2). 

MATCH PREDICTION: ORLANDO CITY SC WIN

Orlando come into this game with confidence, having equalled the club's unbeaten league record last time out. Their 12-game streak is the longest run without defeat in the MLS this season, matching the stretch they managed back in 2020. 

They also have a fierce attacking force in McGuire, Luis Muriel and Martin Ojeda. In the Eastern Conference, only Philadelphia (30) have scored more league goals this season than the Lions (28). 

But it is Atlanta who hold the bragging rights in this fixture, winning 11 of the 24 all-time meetings between the two sides. Orlando, though, have won the last two. 

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Atlanta United – 29.9%

Draw – 24.8%

Orlando City SC – 45.2%