Saturday night's match was one of the most eventful of the season, a goal fest in every right. Unfortunately for the 5-Stripes, it was more often that they found the ball in the back of their own net than in the opponent's. Despite scoring four unanswered goals, Atlanta United fell 5-4 to Columbus Crew at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It was one of those battles where the bizarre felt normal: defenders assisting, headers abundant, goals in bunches and no shortage of passion.
What happened: Atlanta United forced two early corners inside the first two minutes with play down the right wing. Saba Lobjanidze earned a third in the 7th minute, and he himself put in the cross, which bounced around a few times before going out for yet another. Yes, the 5-Stripes had four corners in the first 10 minutes of the match.
It was right at the 11th minute mark when Columbus Crew thought they had a first. Max Arfsten squared a ball across to Andres Herrera, who punched the ball in at the back post. The official raised his hand, and the offsides flag went up for a pass earlier in the buildup.
A few minutes later, the Crew did grab the lead. An errant touch at the back fell to Columbus, and Hibbert closed but could only deflect the ball back into the path of Diego Rossi. The forward slotted the ball away in the 14th minute for 1-0.
The Crew kept coming and had a second within minutes. Rossi had a quick brace, running onto another ball across the face of goal with a very similar shot to his first goal. The travelers had a 2-0 advantage built in just three minutes of match time.
The right side continued to be a strong point for the 5-Stripes, and in the 23rd minute, they nearly had a response. Saba drilled a cross from the right endline that found a sliding Thiaré, but his effort zipped wide of the right post.
Almost immediately afterward, the Crew turned in a third. Columbus' buildup was crisp, and the ball came to Wessam Abou Ali around the penalty spot. His first-time strike rolled past Hibbert for 3-0 in the 26th.
Columbus had another in the 29th minute. Their pressing won the ball deep into Atlanta United's defensive third, and they turned in a fourth goal of the match thanks to a tidy finish from Herrera.
Tristan Muyumba almost got one back in the 32nd from a bit of clean attacking play from the 5-Stripes. He got a look from the right side of the goal with a curling strike, but it hit the outside of the post and out.
Rossi secured his hattrick in the 39th minute as a ball came across the face of goal once again. Hibbert didn't even have a chance as the away side took a 5-0 lead.
Jamal Thiaré drew a penalty in the 46th minute, and Miguel Almirón stepped up to secure a bit of history. His confident strike into the bottom right corner leveled him with Thiago Almada as Atlanta United's second all-time leading scorer. Miggy got his 26th career goal with the 5-Stripes in all competitions, and his side got a ray of light in an otherwise trying first half.
The 5-Stripes set the tone immediately to start the second half that they weren't going to lay down. A cross from halftime substitute Brooks Lennon found Pedro Amador at the back post, who headed it home for his first goal of the 2025 season and first in his Atlanta United career. The clock hadn't even hit 46 minutes yet.
Just four minutes later, Thiaré snuck in behind and dropped the keeper before putting the ball in the back of the net. The goal came in absolutely rapid fashion, and Enea Mihaj earned his first career goal contribution with the 5-Stripes. A shocking 5-3 sat on the scoreboard as the 17s in attendance gave their all cheering the team on.
Atlanta United gave it their all down the stretch. Head coach Ronny Deila went to one of his most productive players this season, Alexey Miranchuk, off the bench in the 72nd minute. Cooper Sanchez was his next choice in the 75th minute, as the recently signed Homegrown midfielder made his MLS debut.
The 5-Stripes can take solace in the fact that they were the aggressor as the clock creeped towards 90. Chances came, like when Almirón played a keen ball into Will Reilly in the 64th minute to get him a look from close range. Patrick Schulte made a reaction save in the net to force it away. Alexey Miranchuk also had two chances near the goal get pushed away.
The home side gave themselves a chance all night long. In the 88th minute, Thiaré had his brace with a header after a lovely chipped ball from Stian Gregersen to make it 5-4. As Atlanta United saw eight minutes of added time, they knew to keep themselves alive in the playoff race they would need to score two more to win the match.
Almirón earned a free kick in the 95th minute, and the ball from Alzate was pure. Gregersen got on the other end of the cross but a shove in the back threw him to the ground. The referee didn't budge, and the Video Assisted Referee agreed that no penalty kick was in order.
Mihaj thought he had the equalizer with a header in the 97th minute that just flew past the left post. It was the last chance of the night, and Atlanta United fell 5-4 in dramatic fashion. The loss eliminated the 5-Stripes from playoff contention.
Key stat: An unlikely expected goals discrepancy. Atlanta United produced more expected goals on the night, 3.8 to 1.7, yet almost inexplicably found themselves on the wrong side of a 5-4 scoreline. Deila has preached being more effective in both boxes, but that instruction didn't quite translate yet.
Milestones:
- Miguel Almirón scored his 26th career goal in all competitions with a penalty kick at the end of the first half. He is now tied with Thiago Almada for the second-most in Atlanta United history.
- Pedro Amador's rapid second half goal was the first of his Atlanta United career.
- Enea Mihaj assisted Jamal Thiaré's goal in the 50th minute, the Albanian defender's first goal contribution of his young Atlanta United career.
- Cooper Sanchez made his MLS debut in a 16-minute substitute appearance. The Homegrown midfielder signed a deal with the First Team August 5.
- Stian Gregersen picked up his first career assist with Atlanta United on the 5-Stripes' fourth goal in the 88th minute.
Up next: Atlanta United will stay at home to play new MLS club San Diego FC for the first time in club history. The 5-Stripes will kick off at 4:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 20.
