Final Whistle: Atlanta United Head Into World Cup Break After 2-0 Loss to Crew
- Jon Nelson
- 3 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Two teams struggling in the first segment of the 2026 MLS season tried to take a positive step heading into the World Cup break as Atlanta United tried to put the Open Cup thrashing in Orlando behind them in Columbus facing the Crew.
Columbus decided last weekend to dismiss then-head coach Henrik Rydström after 14 matches and had Laurent Courtois serve as the interim manager for the foreseeable future. His first match was also in the midweek in the other part of the Open Cup bracket facing NYCFC. Crew advanced with their 1-0 win to face Orlando in September in the semi-finals.
For Atlanta United, the lineup in Columbus was a fairly familiar XI: Lucas Hoyos in net with a backline of Elias Báez, Enea Mihaj, Juan Berrocal, and Tomás Jacob. Tristan Muyumba and Cooper Sanchez sat behind Luke Brennan, Jay Fortune, and Saba Lobjanidze, with Alexey Miranchuk in the striker position.
The bench had Jayden Hibbert as the second keeper. Miguel Almirón, who addressed the media this week before the Columbus match on his return from injury, was available along with Pedro Amador, Matt Edwards, Stian Gregersen, Ronald Hernández, Will Reilly, Sergio Santos, and Cayman Togashi.
Latte Lath, Steven Alzate, MatÃas Galarza, and Fafà Picault were not in the matchday 20.
For Columbus, Patrick Schulte started in net. Sean Zawadzki, Rudy Camacho, and Andrés Herrera were at the back of the formation. The midfield consisted of Max Arfsten, Sékou Bangoura, Mo Farsi, and André Gomes. Taha Habroune, Daniel Gazdag, and Diego Rossi lined up up top in the 3-4-3.
Most of the first ten minutes belonged to Crew, but the offense had little to show for the effort. Both teams came out pressing, trying to force errors in play. Max Arfsten received a big switch from the right to the left in the 12th minute, cutting inside for a shot wide to the far post. Daniel Gazdag followed three minutes later with a header high and wide of the target. In the 18th minute, Diego Rossi sent a shot off the near post as Columbus crept closer and closer to gaining the lead.
At that point, Crew held a 5-0 shots advantage with 2 on target, and Atlanta United had only 18 percent possession. The first Atlanta United opportunity came in the 22nd minute off a run up the right wing by Tomás Jacob toward the Columbus 18. Sean Zawadzki was given a yellow card for the challenge that took Jacob to the turf.
The subsequent set piece yielded the first score of the match. The kick from Saba Lobjanidze went, waist-high, into the Crew wall of four. Columbus broke quickly as Sékou Bangoura shed a jersey grab by Lobjanidze and led a 4v1 break into the attacking half. Work from Rossi, Mo Farsi, and Bangoura ended with Sékou's second goal of the year and a 1-0 lead in the 24th minute.
United tried to respond with Tristan Muyumba, Alexey Miranchuk, and Saba Lobjanidze up the left side, resulting in a corner. The chance was cleared by Crew's backline once it entered the edge of the 18. Another chance yielded a shot for Jay Fortune in the 44th minute that went right at Crew keeper Patrick Schulte.
Columbus went ahead by two goals at the break as Mo Farsi timed his run down the right wing perfectly. His cross to Diego Rossi ended up as a shot that wrapped around Tomás Jacob and got past Lucas Hoyos at the back post for goal number two.
Crew held the advantage in shots (7-2), shots on target (4-1), and 6-2 in key passes for the first half.
Down two goals with 45 minutes remaining before the World Cup break, the response from the players on the pitch was under the magnifying glass.
Jay Fortune was one of two early chances for Atlanta United in the opening minutes of the second half. In the 52nd minute, after another Diego Rossi shot wide of net, the following Atlanta United possession produced a transition opportunity involving Jay Fortune and Saba Lobjanidze down the right wing. Cooper Sanchez's shot from 25 yards out went high over the crossbar. Tomás Jacob added to the numbers forward on the next trip, streaking to the near post on a corner, but his header was wide of Patrick Schulte.
Miguel Almirón came off the bench for Tata Martino with 30 minutes to go, replacing Luke Brennan. Atlanta United then fired shots on Schulte at the edge of the 18. Elias Báez sprinted to his right to launch a shot followed by Jay Fortune off the rebound of the first Crew block, as the home team stayed fortunate to keep the two-goal lead.
Atlanta earned a set piece off a yellow card challenge with 25 minutes to go and Miguel Almirón's launch ricocheted off the wall and resulted in another corner. The end result was a Saba Lobjanidze shot blocked, a continuing trend for Crew.
With 20 minutes to go, Sergio Santos, substituted in for Lobjanidze, had a shot on net that was saved by Schulte. The next time down the field, Atlanta's increased pressure produced a shot from Alexey Miranchuk that was blocked, redirected, and recovered by Miranchuk. Elias Báez wound and fired from 22 yards out, with the ball coming off a pass to Santos. Santos was the midpoint but unfortunately redirected the shot out of play.
The bright spot of the second 45 was Elias Báez, who made a full sprint down the left wing with seven minutes to go. Schulte was forced to jump and punch the cross clear ahead of Sergio Santos' offensive rush. With the match stretched, Crew had another opportunity involving Andrés Herrera, but his shot from 15 yards out climbed over the bar for the final chance on either side.
The match ended with Atlanta heading into the break at 3-9-2, 11 points, and 14th in the Eastern Conference, with plenty to address over the next six weeks.
The effort was better in the second half without question, save for two teams trying to cross the finish line in the final ten minutes. United outshot Crew 14-3 in the second half, forcing 12 Columbus clearances and 8 blocked shots by the defense.
Performances improved although the result did not. The next steps will be off the field for a team that may, realistically, need to win ten matches starting in July to make the postseason in 2026.