The Columbus Crew travels to the Mecedese-Benz Stadium to take on Atlanta United for the second game of the MLS Cup playoffs first round series. With a win, the Black & Gold advance to the Eastern Conference semifinal following the 2-0 victory against Atlanta at home last week. A loss and the series will return to Lower.com Field on Sunday, Nov. 12. 

With no new injuries and adequate rest in between games, head coach Wilfried Nancy will likely not rotate his squad much, if at all. Columbus has a chance to punch an early ticket to the next round, and there is no real consequence for losing, as the Black & Gold will host game three if need be in the series. Defender Will Sands is the only player injured and will remain sidelined for the rest of the playoffs. 

Here is how we belive the Crew will lineup for this second playoff match:

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte rose to the occasion for his first-ever MLS Cup playoff game. Schulte only faced one shot from Atlanta and it was not on target. The goalkeeper did have to deal with a high press and the United players trying to dispossess him early and Schulte passed that test. In this game, Schulte will face a hostile crowd of 55,000. The moment will be big, but Schulte has been building more and more confidence as the season has gone on and should play well. 

The defense was stellar in the first game of the playoffs, allowing only one off-target shot late in the match. The backline of the previous leg was defenders Malte Amundsen, Rudy Camacho and Steven Moreira. After such a positive performance, it would be shocking to see Nancy rotate. Atlanta’s premier playmaker and Young Player of The Year, Thiago Almada, will be available for selection in this match. This will present a significant challenge and opportunity for the backline and the midfield. 

Wing backs Julian Gressel and Yaw Yeboah will start this match. Yeboah has grown significantly over the season and is one of the biggest success stories for this Crew side. Gressel is considered by many the best right wing back in the league, but the German had a poor last match. Gressel seemed surprised early to find himself with the ball and acres of free space towards goal but never got out of second gear and wasted a prime early chance. The German also was lost defensively as Atlanta got a turnover and served and played down the left attacking flank, Gressel’s side. Gressel seemed unsure of how to cover and Camacho left the middle of the pitch to go to the ball. This left striker Giorgos Giakoumakis completely uncovered in the penalty box as Atlanta tried to find him with a cross. Much of these struggles for Gressel can be attributed to needing to learn new assignments from a team midseason. Most of the Crew players went through these growing pains early. 

The midfield will be manned by midfielders Aidan Morris and captain Darlington Nagbe. Morris was a finalist with Almada for Young Player of the Year. Almada will test the midfield with his passing vision and creativity. The last time Columbus faced off against Almada, the Black & Gold were able to hold off the young Argentinian until a late foul gave Almada a free kick in a dangerous area. Morris and Nagbe will have a tough match but have the talent, ability and experience in big matches to see the Black & Gold through the match. 

Nancy has consistently selected an attacking trio of Alexandru Matan, Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi. It is hard to argue with the results, as Columbus has gone 4-1-3 in league play with this attacking formation. The lone loss was the disastrous collapse against Orlando City SC. Matan only has three assists in that span of play but has affected the game in ways that do not show up on the score sheet, including winning a penalty kick in the last match against Atlanta. Matan is the most confident player on the Crew while taking on defenders on the dribble and simply adds a dimension the Black & Gold do not have without him. Hernandez has just scored goals in buckets since the Leagues Cup break, and Rossi has added defense-stretching runs, more consistent pressing, and a couple of goals since his arrival in the summer window. Nancy will run back the success he had in the first match with the same lineup.