The Columbus Crew blanked Atlanta United 2-0 in Game 1 of the first-round MLS Cup playoff series last week. That win came thanks to a brace from forward Cucho Hernandez at Lower.com Field.

On Tuesday, the Black & Gold travel to Atlanta with the opportunity to close out the series and secure their spot in the next round of the playoffs. United will get a boost from the return of attacker Thiago Almada, who returns after missing the first leg due to a suspension.

Here’s everything you need for Game 2 of this series. 

Atlanta United at a Glance:

Record: 13-12-9, 51 points

League Form: D-D-L-W-D

Leading Scorer: Gregorios Giakoumakis (17)

Assist Leader: Thiago Almada (16)

Player to Watch: Thiago Almada

Almada is arguably the hottest prospect in all of Major League Soccer and will be plenty rested after missing the first match. The 22-year-old Argentine has caught the attention of just about everyone in his two years in MLS.

After coming from Velez Sarsfield in his native Argentina, Almada has been one of the most brilliant attacking players in the league since his arrival in 2022. Simply put, there’s nothing Almada can’t do in attack. His 17 goals and 23 assists in his two years in MLS prove he can produce at the highest level.

Perhaps more important and impressive is Almada’s ability to help link up play for Atlanta. The Argentine pulls all the strings for the Five Stripes’ attack with his passing and ability to beat defenders 1 v. 1. It’s also worth mentioning that Almada is one of the best players in the league off of dead balls.

United typically goes how Almada goes, so Columbus needs to focus on the playmaker if the Crew wants to close out the series on the road.

How Atlanta United plays: 

Atlanta head coach Gonzalo Pineda switched from his typical 4-2-3-1 formation to a 5-3-2 lineup last Wednesday. This change allowed Atlanta to press the Black & Gold in a more man-orientated way which caused Columbus some problems early in the match. While this formation had success, it lacked much of an attacking threat. This is why United is expected to revert back to a 4-2-3-1 shape at home on Wednesday. 

Regardless of what shape the team is in, the Five Stripes’ principles of play are always the same. Atlanta will move the outside backs high up the field when in possession. In doing so, United can move the dangerous attacking players, such as Thiago Almada, winger Saba Lobzhanidze and forward Xande Silva into advanced central areas. Lobzhanidze and Silva will look to get on the ball and either drive at the defense or pass to their advanced outside backs to switch the point of attack. This movement and shape make Atlanta very hard to defend and win the ball from.

If the Five Stripes win the ball near midfield, United will look to counter attack as quickly as possible and let the attacking players run into the space being the opponent’s backline. 

oDefensively, Atlanta will use a similar defensive strategy to most of Columbus’ opponents and defend in a mid-block to be compact and limit the Crew’s ability to have space between the lines to progress the ball forward. There will be some sort of trigger or cue to initiate a press to try and win the ball back. When this happens, United will apply heavy pressure to the ball.

As the game continues, the Five Stripes could move their pressure higher up the field in an attempt to win the ball back and disrupt the Black & Gold’s rhythm in a must-win match. If Atlanta does stick with a 5-3-2 formation, it will function more like a 3-4-3 when defending, as the wing backs push high up the field to press the ball. 

How the Crew can win:

Columbus has a chance to win the series and advance on Tuesday. To do so, the Crew will have to be really good in a few areas over the course of 90 minutes. The good news is that these areas are nothing new to the Black & Gold. 

Defend the counter. This has been the most consistent area of focus for Columbus under Wilfried Nancy. The Crew pushes a lot of numbers into the attack and often can be short-staffed at the back. Of course, these advanced numbers can help the Black & Gold suffocate their opponents in their own half as well. Columbus needs to do more suffocating and less chasing the counter attack on Wednesday. 

Defend set pieces. The Crew gave up a last-gasp equalizer in the team’s last trip to Atlanta, and set pieces have been an Achilles’ heel for the Black & Gold all year. United is second in the league in set piece goals scored and will look to strike as Almada can deliver service in this match. Columbus must be sharp in this area. 

Handle late-game situations. If you’re a Crew supporter, being up a goal or even two late in the game is still a cause for some nail-biting. The Black & Gold have, at times this season, been in a position to get good results and thrown them away. Columbus absolutely cannot afford to do that again on Tuesday. If the Crew is to advance past United, and beyond, the Black & Gold need to be really sharp at the end of matches, starting Tuesday.