Atlanta United – HUGE REPORT

The Columbus Crew heads to Atlanta, Georgia for their final match before the All-Star and Leagues Cup break to take on Atlanta United, who are without a win in their last five games. The Five Stripes’ poor start to the 2024 season was bad enough to see Gonzalo Pineda step down as head coach in June. Now, Atlanta is looking to steady itself ahead of a hectic summer transfer window. The Crew heads to the Peach State looking to wash the bitter taste out of their mouths after a disappointing midweek draw at home to Charlotte. The Crew have a history of getting results away from Atlanta and will be looking to record their third straight win on Saturday.

Atlanta United at a glance:

Record: 6-7-11, 25 points

Top scorer: Daniel Rios, Saba Lobzhanidze (6)

Assistant leader: Brooks Lennon (5)

Player to watch: Daniel Rios

With several key departures from Atlanta’s attack, the onus of attacking play will fall on Rios for Atlanta, at least on Saturday. Rios, who is on loan from Chivas Guadalajara, has spent time in Nashville and Charlotte, making him a seasoned MLS forward. The 29-year-old Mexican is an excellent athlete, capable of both threatening defenses by running behind him and using his lean frame to hold up play and link up with teammates. Rios is also a good finisher and regularly finds himself in good spots to score. Rios’ skills will be particularly 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, and there are a couple of reasons for that. Atlanta sold Thiago Almada, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Caleb Wiley for a combined $41 million. In addition to their deep pockets, Atlanta has begun the search for a new head coach after parting ways with Pineda. Rob Valentino is in his second stint as interim manager of Atlanta and has largely stuck to the same tactics as his predecessor so far. One interesting tidbit is that Valentino opted to use a 3-4-2-1 formation against Montreal last week, instead of Atlanta’s usual 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 all that much, it’s likely that the Crew will see Atlanta make a similar change on Saturday.

Like Columbus, Atlanta is a team that prefers to keep possession of the ball and create attacks with passing and attacking movement. Regardless of their formation, Atlanta looks to create overloads in central areas and get players to run quickly to the back line in wide areas. In the past against Columbus, Atlanta has shown a willingness to play more direct balls to their forward line as well.

Defensively, Atlanta defends in a mid-block, about ¾ of the field, regardless of formation. Typically, Atlanta tries to force the ball into the wide areas before shifting the defense to catch the ball near the sideline. If Atlanta plays a 3-4-2-1, their defenders on Saturday will be almost man-to-man oriented. This means that these players will be prepared to follow and track the Crew’s attack, even if they take up unique positions.

How the Crew can win:

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

Dominate Possession: Atlanta is not a great defensive team and they can often cover this by maintaining possession for the majority of the game. The Crew should not give them a 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 this to have an added effect as the game progresses.
Finishing Chances: The Crew created more than enough chances to win on Wednesday, but failed to be as clinical in front of goal as they have been in recent weeks. Better to nip that in the bud as soon as possible, as they will likely be able to create similar chances in this match.
Win 1v1 Battles: When Atlanta plays in a 3-4-2-1 formation, the Crew will essentially be 1v1 all over the court. So winning those 1v1 matchups will decide the game. This is especially true for the forwards, as one nice move or quick turn can quickly break through Atlanta’s defense.