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Columbus Crew falls 2-1 to Atlanta ahead of MLS All-Star Game: Key takeaways

Gillberg
Columbus Crew falls 2-1 to Atlanta ahead of MLS All-Star Game: Key takeaways

All the momentum the team had gained throughout its five-game winning streak that began in late June came to a screeching halt over Columbus’ final two games.

After Columbus’ first game of the week ended in a 1-1 draw Wednesday against Charlotte FC at Lower.com Field, the Crew suffered a 2-1 loss to Atlanta United on the road Saturday in their final game before the MLS All-Star break. And against Atlanta, the Crew lost in a way they’ve never done this season — losing a game in which they initially took the lead.

The team took a 1-0 lead over Atlanta in the first half thanks to a goal from striker Diego Rossi in the 36th minute and had the lead at halftime.

Atlanta defender Stian Gregersen got his club back on track in the second half when he converted a corner opportunity into a goal in the 60th minute. 17 minutes later, Gregersen scored again for Atlanta with a header from a corner kick from the left side of the field, giving Atlanta a 2-1 lead that would last until the final whistle.

“We made a mistake regarding the player we should have marked,” Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. “It’s a big mistake, it could happen. These are two goals that we conceded by not taking the necessary responsibility.”

Columbus Crew Failed to Defend Corners Not Once, But Twice Against Atlanta United

On both corners Gregersen scored on, Crew midfielder Mo Farsi was tasked with marking the 6-foot-4 defender, which resulted in him following Gregersen through the free kick. On his first goal of the night, Gregersen made a direct pass toward goal, beating Farsi and was given a clear path to head in with no other Columbus players in the area able to defend Gregersen.

“That’s the way we’ve defended them all year,” Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki said. “They’re two really good serves and they’re in a tough spot. We have our zone and they looked too far out of our zone to come out and close us out and take the corner.”

Nancy referred to this situation as one in which the team “needs to do better,” especially after it took Columbus less than 20 minutes to repeat its mistake in defending Gregersen on the corner. Farsi still marked Gregersen and was beaten once again, but this time Gregersen ran directly at defender Yevhen Cheberko, whom he overpowered to force another header to score.

“Individual scoring is trying to do your best to get over the line,” Zawadzki said. “Sometimes it’s tough, it’s a really tough task to do, no matter who you’re going up against. … It’s not about one person, it’s about everybody.”

Columbus Crew have failed to capitalize on their chances once again, going 2-for-38 from the field in their last two games.

Despite the team having scored just two goals in its last two games, which is fewer than the number of goals it has scored in four of five games during its winning streak, Columbus has had opportunities to score.

Against Atlanta, the Crew had 16 shots on goal, two more than Atlanta had 14 at the end of the game. The difference is that Columbus had only three of its 16 shots on goal, and all of its shots on goal came in the first half. Atlanta had six shots on goal and spread them out throughout the game.

“The last two games we had a lot of opportunities,” Nancy said. “(Against Atlanta) we didn’t finish well, we didn’t have the final move. That’s why we couldn’t maximize the few opportunities we had. That’s something we’re going to work on a little bit.”

Columbus Crew enters much-needed MLS All-Star break after tough week

The team’s saving grace came in the form of the MLS All-Star Game.

With the All-Star Game and subsequent break scheduled for next week, and the All-Star Game coming just before the League Cup begins, Columbus will have a nearly two-week break from competition. The only game the team has scheduled for July is a friendly against Aston Villa in the Premier League.

As winners of the 2023 MLS Cup, the Crew receive a bye into the group stage and automatic qualification for the round of 32, with their first League Cup match scheduled for Friday, August 9.

“It’s obviously not the way we wanted to end this game before this little break,” Zawadzki said. “It’s a good time to go into this break, take some time to look back at what we’ve done so far in the season. Although (against Atlanta) was disappointing and frustrating, looking back at how we’ve done so far this season, we’re in a pretty good position.”

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