Almiron still isn’t sure how he beat that first defender. He said he was talking about the move with Asad in the locker room after the game.

His third goal, Atlanta United’s fourth, came when a teammate was hauled down in the penalty box on a counter-attack.

Almiron said he asked Hector Villalba if he could take the penalty kick to complete his hat trick. Villalba agreed. Almiron coolly put the ball into the goal's lower left corner in the 80th minute to complete the second hat trick for an Atlanta United player this season. Josef Martinez had the first, coming against Minnesota United in the team's second game.

“I think you saw that in Portland that we also had a lot of chances [to score], but unfortunately, we weren’t able to convert,” Almiron said. “Today, the team is leaving happy, me especially, I’m happier with the team’s performance. I think the team deserved a victory for all of the effort we have given.”