ATLANTA -- Atlanta and New York played like the top two teams in the east. As for who's better, that will have to wait until the next meeting.
On a night where star striker Josef Martinez may have been battling through pain and seemed off, Atlanta United's goals came from less likely sources and the Five Stripes and New York ended in a 2-2 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The two teams making up the top of the eastern conference table battled and looked evenly matched. It was physical with six players getting booked during the match, four from New York.
Greg Garza scored in the 29th minute when Miguel Almiron's shot bounced off the hand of keeper Sean Johnson, who has the second-most saves in MLS. Garza tapped it in for the first goal of the game. But eight minutes later, Michael Parkhurst fouled Jo Inge Berget in the box. David Villa's penalty kick went right by Brad Guzan's right hand for the equalizer.
Darlington Nagbe scored from the top of the box in the 41st minute, but VAR overturned the goal because Josef Martinez was standing next to Johnson and was offside.
Martinez was playing with a cast on his arm after suffering a hand injury on Wednesday during practice. He appeared to wince from pain after getting touches and dueling for the ball, possibly because of the injury that had continued to cause him pain in his fingers throughout the week.
Atlanta United took its lead back in the 56th minute as Almiron sent a cross into the box that Chris McCann headed in for his first MLS goal.
New York scored the second equalizer as David Villa battled with several defenders, and he finally passed inside to Alexander Ring who scorched the ball and deflected off the cross bar going in.
Atlanta United had several scoring attempts late in the match including attempts from Ezequiel Barco and Darlington Nagbe, but New York's back line was strong, finishing the match with 29 clearances.
Their best chance was during stoppage time as Julian Gressel crossed to Martinez who was alone, but Johnson was able to clear it away.
Tata Martino put Barco in the game in the 68th minute. Barco made headlines when Atlanta United paid a $15 million transfer fee for the 19-year-old star. He was injured in the preseason. Sunday was his regular season debut.
Atlanta and New York meet again on June 9 at Yankee Stadium.
New York sits at the top of the table with 17 points. Atlanta United has 13.
