In need of a victory to prolong their season, Atlanta United will host the Columbus Crew in game two of that best-of-three MLS Cup playoff series on Tuesday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
On Wednesday, the Crew came away with a comfortable 2-0 triumph in what was the first-ever playoff match at Lower.com Field.
Match preview
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For almost the entire first half of the opening game, the Five Stripes were in survival mode, conceding a goal just before the interval.
They failed to recover after that, registering just one shot throughout the contest, which failed to hit the target as they have now lost three straight MLS playoff fixtures while being held goalless in two successive post-season affairs.
Gonzalo Pineda's men have scored an opening-half goal in only one of their previous four MLS encounters, while conceding at least once in their last nine domestic contests.
Tuesday will be their seventh home playoff fixture, with Atlanta losing only one of those previous encounters (2-1 versus Toronto in 2019), while they have posted five clean sheets at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the post-season.
The Five Stripes found the back of the net in every one of their 2023 MLS home fixtures, scoring three or more goals on seven occasions.
Atlanta came back to earn at least a point in six regular season home fixtures this year despite conceding the opening goal, including the last time they hosted Columbus, when the two sides played to a 1-1 draw in early October.
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As manager Wilfried Nancy said afterwards, the Columbus crew put together a "top performance" in the opening match of this series, extending their unbeaten run in MLS to seven games.
That was the fifth successive playoff victory for Columbus and the first since 2020, as this team are now unbeaten in five straight domestic fixtures when scoring the opening goal.
Eight of the nine losses suffered by the Crew during the 2023 regular season occurred away from home, while they have not won a playoff contest outside of Columbus since 2008, when they defeated the New York Red Bulls to capture the MLS Cup in a match played in Carson, California.
Throughout the regular season, the Crew were especially susceptible along the backline, but they have been able to limit that damage down the stretch of the campaign, conceding a goal or fewer in seven successive league fixtures.
The Crew gave up three or more goals on five occasions away from home during the regular season while posting only one domestic clean sheet as the visiting team.
Columbus are unbeaten in their last five visits to Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Atlanta, winning their only previous playoff appearance there in 2017, 3-1 on penalties.
Team News
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Thiago Almada is eligible to return for Atlanta after missing the opening fixture of this series due to a red card suspension, Osvaldo Alonso was on the bench for the first match with a leg issue, Tyler Wolff came on for Ajani Fortune in his first appearance since sustaining a thigh issue, while Machop Chol is expected to miss this upcoming encounter because of a hamstring strain.
Earlier this month, Giorgos Giakoumakis was named the MLS Newcomer of the Year, finishing third in the regular season Golden Boot race with 17 strikes, the fourth-most in the history of this club behind Josef Martinez (2017-19).
Brad Guzan has conceded nine goals in his last three matches played versus the Crew, while his team have only scored two over that stretch.
Diego Rossi played for Columbus in match one of this series despite previously dealing with a sore thigh, while Will Sands is out because of a knee injury.
Cucho Hernandez now has five goals in his last three MLS fixtures, notching a brace in the first game of this series, while Steven Moreira, Rudy Camacho and Malte Amundsen did not concede a single shot on target as Patrick Schulte collected a clean sheet.
Christian Ramirez, who finished the regular season second on the Crew in goals with eight, has not found the back of the net domestically since July 4.
Atlanta United possible starting lineup:
Guzan; Lennon, Hernandez, Robinson, Wiley; Mosquera, Rossetto, Almada; Etienne, Giakoumakis, Berry
Columbus Crew possible starting lineup:
Schulte; Moreira, Camacho, Amundsen; Gressel, Nagbe, Morris, Yeboah; Rossi, Hernandez, Matan
We say: Atlanta United 2-1 Columbus Crew
With Almada back in the fold, we expect to see a much more aggressive and determined Atlanta side in this one, and his vision and passing ability should enable the Five Stripes to create more chances and find a way through an inconsistent Crew defensive unit.
How to watch
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Top tip
Joel Lefevre
