The last time Minnesota United played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Loons lost a trophy to Atlanta United in the U.S. Open Cup final in August 2019. No silverware was on the line Saturday night, but MNUFC dug in to remain the best road team in MLS this season, with a 2-1 win over their 2017 expansion cousins. MNUFC (6-2-2, 20 points) improved to 4-1-0 away from St. Paul and added to it against talented but scuffling Atlanta (3-4-3, 12 points). “We can come to a place like this, we can restrict a very good opposition to very few good-quality chances, we can be a real threat on the counter attack and we can be a real threat on set plays,” head coach Eric Ramsay said. “I’m really pleased and obviously the players are, so we are in a really good place.” Kervin Arriaga welcomed the birth of his baby boy on Wednesday and celebrated it with a header goal off a corner kick from his fellow Honduran Joseph Rosales in the 54th minute. In celebration, Arriaga mimicked rocking a baby to sleep and sucked his thumb. In the 60th minute, Carlos Harvey forced a turnover and started a counter attack; Tani Oluwaseyi perfectly slotted a shot into the bottom right corner of the net to give the white-hot forward a team-high five goals this season. Atlanta got a goal back in the 82nd minute, and the Loons dealt with some nervy moments to close out the game. A flick-on header started a breakaway, and Saba Lobjanidze scored. In stoppage time, Giorgos Giakoumakis put what would have been a game-tying goal off the crossbar in the 91st minute, and Atlanta star Thiago Almada won a dangerous free kick from 25 yards to end the game, but Dayne St. Clair easily saved it. The Loons stifled Atlanta with its three-man back line for most of the match. “It wasn’t a pretty way to close a game out,” Ramsay said. “But I think if you watch back in, most moments we were very well connected and we were very much together. The front players really made sure they stayed in touch with the remainder of our defensive block.” Ramsay started two strikers in the 2-1 win over Sporting Kansas City last Saturday, but he aborted that formation at halftime. He went back to a two-striker formation in Georgia, but with Sang Bin Jeong next to Oluwaseui instead of Teemu Pukki. The wrinkle Saturday was the Loons set up in a compact 5-4-1 to cut down spaces for Atlanta. Briefly Robin Lod, arguably the Loons’ MVP this season, was subbed out at halftime for a “slight” injury, Ramsay said. Harvey came on at halftime and was instrumental in MNUFC getting what turned out to be the game-winning goal. … After not scoring on a set piece in the first seven games, MNUFC has scored on one in each of the past three games. … When his Loons teammates were sleeping in their Atlanta hotel pre-dawn Saturday, AWOL star midfielder Emanuel Reynoso’s account went live on Instagram. It’s unclear what was on that feed, but the timing of it shows how far he is from teammates right now. Reynoso has been letting down his club since the MLS all-star decided not to return from Argentina after skipping his U.S. green card meeting in his home country in late March. Recent social media posts appeared to have him at a night club. … MNUFC2 goalkeeper Alec Smir was called up for his second MLS game on Saturday; Loons backup Clint Irwin (groin) is sidelined. Smir didn’t play in either game, setting up two more opportunities for him to come up this season. … Midfielder Hassani Dotson missed his second straight match with a hamstring injury. Ramsay said Friday that Dotson might be able to return for the next game, May 15 versus Los Angeles Galaxy at Allianz Field. … Ramsay was pleased to see Ipswich Town promoted to the English Premier League on Saturday. He has a connection with Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna. They both were at Loughborough University in England in the early 2010s and crossed paths again a few years ago at Manchester United.