Atlanta United – MASSIVE REPORT

The Columbus Crew travel to Atlanta, Georgia for their final game before the All-Star and Leagues Cup break to take on a struggling Atlanta United team that has gone winless in its last five games. The Five Stripes’ poor start to the 2024 campaign was bad enough that Gonzalo Pineda was excused from his head coaching duties in June. Now, Atlanta is looking to stabilize ahead of a hectic summer transfer window. The Crew travel to the Peach State hoping to shake off a bitter taste after a disappointing midweek draw at home to Charlotte. The Crew are accustomed to picking up results away from home in Atlanta and will be looking for their third straight away win on Saturday.

Atlanta United at a glance:

Record: 6-7-11, 25 points

Top scorer: Daniel Rios, Saba Lobzhanidze (6)

Assists leader: Brooks Lennon (5)

Player to watch: Daniel Rios

With several key Atlanta attackers gone, the responsibility for the offensive play will fall on Rios for Atlanta, at least through Saturday. Rios, who is on loan from Chivas Guadalajara, has spent time in Nashville and Charlotte, making him an experienced MLS forward. The 29-year-old Mexican is an excellent athlete who can both threaten defenses by running in behind and use his lanky frame to hold up play and combine with teammates. Rios is also a good finisher and regularly finds himself in good positions to score. Rios’ skills are especially useful against teams like Columbus, where transition opportunities are plentiful.

How Atlanta United plays:

It seems like the eyes of the entire league are on Atlanta this summer for a number of reasons. Atlanta traded Thiago Almada, Giorgos Giakoumakis, and Caleb Wiley for a combined $41 million. In addition to their deep pockets, Atlanta has once again begun looking for a new head coach after parting ways with Pineda. Rob Valentino is in his second stint as interim manager in Atlanta and has largely stuck with his predecessor’s tactics thus far. One interesting detail to note is that Valentino opted to use a 3-4-2-1 formation against Montreal last week, instead of Atlanta’s typical 4-3-3. Montreal, of course, uses the same 3-4-2-1 formation, as do the Crew. While this won’t change Atlanta’s tactics too much, it’s likely the Crew will see Atlanta make a similar switch on Saturday.

Much like Columbus, Atlanta is a team that prefers to maintain possession and create attacks with passing and attacking movement. Regardless of their formation, Atlanta looks to create overloads in the central areas and have players in the wide areas running at full speed on the back line. In the past against Columbus, Atlanta has also shown a willingness to play more direct balls to their forward line.

On defense, Atlanta plays a mid-block, roughly ¾ of the field, regardless of formation. Typically, Atlanta looks to force the ball into the wide areas before moving the defense to try to trap the ball near the touchline. If Atlanta plays a 3-4-2-1, its defenders will have an almost man-to-man orientation on Saturday. This means these players will be ready to track and hunt down the Crew’s attack even when they occupy unique positions.

How the crew can win:

Crew are looking to get back to winning ways after a frustrating draw in midweek. Crew have enjoyed success in Atlanta in the past and will be looking to replicate that to stay in the Supporters Shield race. Here are the keys for the Black & Gold.

1. Possession Domination: Atlanta isn’t a great defensive team and they’re often able to cover for that by maintaining possession for most of the game. The Crew shouldn’t give them that chance on Saturday. The more the Crew can force an Atlanta team that doesn’t really want to defend to do so, the better. Expect that to take on added effect as the game goes on.
2. Final chances: The team created enough chances to win on Wednesday, but failed to be as effective in front of goal as they have been in recent weeks. It’s best to nip that in the bud as soon as possible, as they’ll likely be able to create similar chances in this game.
3. Win 1v1 Battles: If Atlanta is playing 3-4-2-1, the team will essentially be 1v1 all over the pitch. So, winning these 1v1 battles will decide the outcome of the match. This is especially true for the attackers, as a good move or quick turn can quickly break through Atlanta’s defense.