After nearly two weeks off, Atlanta United is back in action on Wednesday as it travels to Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio to take on the Columbus Crew. The 5-Stripes are coming off a road loss at NYCFC last time out on June 12. Columbus defeated Vancouver 2-1 in its last match and looks to build more momentum at home on Wednesday. They sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, while Atlanta sits in 13th place. The 5-Stripes have won three matches at Columbus all-time, with the last one coming in 2021. Let’s take a look at the Tools to the Match presented by Home Depot against Columbus Crew.
Find chemistry quickly after break
With only one match between May 31 and June 25, Atlanta will need to find its rhythm quickly in order to collect points on Wednesday night. Between the June international break and the league’s Club World Cup break, the team has had time to regroup and work on things in training. One of the points of emphasis is to continue to find chemistry in attack. The team created scoring opportunities last time out against NYCFC but weren’t able to convert any of them. If Atlanta can create a similar amount of chances on Wednesday night, it will need to be more clinical in front of goal against a good Columbus side. If it can find the back of the net early and put pressure on the home side, they have a chance to come away with three points.
Don’t allow Crew to control middle of pitch
As is almost customary with a Wilfried Nancy coached team, the Crew rank among the league’s best teams in terms of possession (1st at 59.8%). But they also are capable of turning that possession into dangerous attacks. They lead the league in touches in the opponents penalty box (470) and have scored 29 goals on the campaign, which ranks in the top-10 in MLS.
The spine of the team is their strength with Darlington Nagbe running the midfield and Diego Rossi scoring goals up top. They added former Philadelphia attacker Daniel Gazdag earlier this season to bolster the attack. When you give them time and space, they will punish you, especially through the middle where 59% of their goals come from. Atlanta’s defense needs to be compact and force Columbus to attack them out wide. They then have to win the individual battles on the flank in order to give themselves a chance at road points.
Avoid the big defensive mistake
Atlanta has to be solid defensively in the second half of the season in order to climb up the Eastern Conference standings. Giving up 34 goals in 18 matches puts a lot of pressure on the attack to outscore every opponent. Especially on the road, Atlanta has been vulnerable to mistakes on defense that directly lead to goals. If the 5-Stripes can clean up those mistakes and build a solid defensive foundation early on Wednesday night, they can allow themselves to grow into the match. The last thing you want to do against a team like Columbus is gift them an early lead and try to chase the match from behind. The opening 15 minutes of each half will be crucial for Atlanta to survive and not concede. They also have to avoid the big mistake defensively and make Columbus earn every chance through good play.
Fans can tune in on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET when the action kicks off at Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio. To hear the action on radio, tune into Sports Radio 92.9 The Game (English) or La Mejor – AM 1600 (Spanish).
