Atlanta United and Minnesota United may have entered MLS at the same time, but the 2017 expansion duo’s paths to Tuesday night’s U.S. Open Cup final came in near-opposite fashion.



One club launched with young South American stars, an impending NFL/MLS hybrid stadium, and an aim to waste no time in joining the league’s upper echelon. The other preached patience, fortified with midfielders from MLS and Scandinavia and counted down the days to their own stunning stadium.



Endless amounts of ink and pixels have already been spilled in comparison and contrast between the two Uniteds. For two years, there wasn’t much of a compelling argument to make that one wasn’t furlongs ahead of the other. And yet, they’re in the home stretch of this cup competition running neck-and-neck, doing so in ways you might not expect given their history. The team that needed extra time to knock off a USL challenger? That would be Atlanta. The one that...