Atlanta United Plays First MLS Game At New Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Mercedes-Benz Stadium "becomes a soccer venue" today as Atlanta United "plays there for the first time," facing FC Dallas at 3:30pm ET. Construction delays on the $1.5B stadium "forced the MLS expansion team to play its previous nine home matches at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium." Team President Darren Eales said, "It will feel like a different stadium when you come for an Atlanta United game than when you come for a Falcons game." The stadium features a "mechanized curtain system that can conceal the 31,000 upper-deck seats with 14 retractable fabric panels," which is designed to "reduce the volume of the massive building and create a more intimate environment" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 9/8).