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Atlanta United enjoyed open roof, but not conditions it created

But there was no choice, the roof had to stay open.
Adam Hagy-USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA — Atlanta United FC played with the eight-petal roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium opened for just the second time since the stadium opened last August.

The team won 3-1 against the Philadelphia Union. The game kicked-off at 7:30 p.m. as blue skies shined brightly through the large opening. The match finished under the stars and clear skies.

While it was aesthetically pleasing, it was a typical June day in Atlanta: hot and muggy.

That made for different conditions for Atlanta than what they are typically used to at Mercedes-Benz.

"It was tough today. It was really hot. It was really humid," captain Michael Parkhurst said. "Usually, we don’t have to worry about that. It’s cool when you look up, but other than that, we sweat a lot more.”

Everyone was sweating, from the players, to the officials, to those on the sidelines.

“It was even hotter," striker Josef Martinez said, who scored a MLS-tying fifth hat-trick. "But I think it looked nice out there.”

The open roof didn't affect the crowd noise levels, according to Julian Gressel.

"The atmospheres' still great. It's not any quieter or anything," he said.

But in addition to it being a tough stretch with four games in 11 days, he admitted the conditions may have added an additional level of adversity.

"On top of that to deal with the humidity and heat, but I think we dealt with it well," he said.

Come playoff time, Gressell believes the conditions will be a lot more pleasant.

It was decided the roof would be open on Saturday rain or shine because crews are in the final construction phase, according to stadium officials.

While the roof had to stay open on Saturday, it's likely officials would have decided to close it because of the humidity-- which was well over 80 percent-- if they had the option. However, there were no stadium officials available to ask on Saturday whether or not it would have been open or closed.

The final phase of the roof's construction began May 29 and requires the roof to be open in a locked position for 10 days to complete the automation process. After the 10-day protocol, there will be a period designated to do final commissioning work to complete the automation. Officials said at the end of that period, Mercedes Benz Stadium will take operational ownership of the roof from the contractors.

When complete, the roof should be able to open and close at the push of a button in roughly 12 minutes.

“From the design phase, we knew this roof would be a unique part of the stadium and fan experience, offering a surprise and delight feature that no other building can offer,” said Steve Cannon, CEO, AMB Group, LLC. “The complexity of the design and our heavy events schedule has made it take longer than we had hoped, but great things take time and we’re happy to see the finish line.”

PHOTOS | Tour around Mercedes-Benz Stadium

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