It was a dark and stormy night in Columbus, Ohio, but after almost an hour and a half delay, the Columbus Crew welcomed Atlanta United to the Lower.com field. was number 11th All previous editions end with one team beating the other in a regular season matchup between the two. That storyline ended when an eventful second half in football led to a 2-2 draw.
The Crew and Atlanta playing in bad weather is nothing new. Although the two teams have only faced each other for five seasons, previous editions have faced each other in monsoon-like conditions. Luckily for the players and supporters in attendance, the bad weather cleared before kick-off, giving the match a dry start.
The field drainage made for a great playing surface, but Black & Gold seemed to score water compared to the Visitors. did. Appearing on the fresher side, Columbus was lazy, even though they played a mid-week game.
United made it difficult for Crewe to move and Black & Gold made a gentle counter-press that turned into an early opportunity on the away side. Goaltender Eloy his room worked early, recording a save in the 11th inning.th and 13th But they couldn’t stop a great goal in the 21st minute.st.
Midfielder Santiago Sosa received a deflected ball from the penalty area and nearly got stuck in traffic with two other Atlanta players. With no Columbus defenders around, Sosa ripped from 20 yards out and with his teammate in sight, Room saw Atlanta’s goal go into the net too late. .
Worse for the 27 crewth One minute when full-back Pedro Santos, who played well early in the match, was sidelined with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by rookie Will Sands, who played more than 60 minutes in a first-team game for the first time since May 28, when Santos was injured in an away game against Atlanta United.
Black & Gold desperately needed halftime. Columbus looked disheveled and could not find a way to break through Atlanta’s defense, outside his four corners, which had never fended off United’s defenders, Crews saw him 1-0 down at half. I’m on time.
Columbus’ final 45 minutes began with a dark rain cloud hanging over the pitch. With the change in weather, Black & Gold wanted a change of mentality coming out of the locker room.
Initially, it was much the same for the crew. Black & Gold struggled to get out of his half defensively, and Room added more to his four saves earned in his first 45 minutes. For 20 minutes, the home side were more or less even, but a late substitution helped create a moment to bring the crews back into the game.
Midfielder Kevin Molino, who has made the start since returning from a torn ACL injury, was out in the match against winger Derrick Etienne Jr.th After taking the field a few minutes earlier, Molino stopped play in midfield to find Luis Diaz sprinting down the right flank. At half-time, Diaz leveled the game with a cross to the feet of waiting forward Cucho Hernández.
Columbus was not finished.
Rookie Suns played a big part in leading the crew after six minutes. The Suns ran down the left flank, got the ball in defense, dribbled through the Atlanta defense, found Hernández who dribbled past the penalty area, and scored eight goals in eight games in gold, but it didn’t last long. did not.
Five minutes later Atlanta equalized, this time with a corner kick. Full-back Juan José Plata sent the ball into the corner of the net to level the game with just ten minutes remaining.
Both sides put pressure on in the final minutes of the match, with Room making two saves in the final minute of extra time and a total of eight saves on the night, but neither team had enough to find a winner for the match. It was not.
set piece set piece set piece
Set pieces have plagued Columbus’ defense this season. Sunday night, however, the offense revealed another set-piece problem.
Crewe tied the match at 77th A minute in defense of a poor set-piece. Offensively, his kicks in their corners have no bite. Black & Gold only had him four, but each never got ahead of the first defender. Crews also had their chances in parts of the match.
Columbus’ attacks can be dangerous, but aggressively entering the right page with corner kicks can be even more dangerous.
Connection from Lucho to Cucho
Luis “Lucho” Díaz and Hernández scored their third goal in eight games. Hernández scored eight goals in eight games, while Diaz recorded his fifth assist of the season, with nine games remaining in his new Black & Gold career.
The formidable duo quickly formed a relationship. As fast as two people are on the field. After two seasons where Diaz had room to run but didn’t finish, he found an exit in Hernández. Diaz has fewer shots than usual, but that’s because of better decision making.
In a match that felt like the crew had nothing to gain, the two turned a one-sided match into a competition.
what’s next
Crews have nine games left in the 2022 MLS Tegular season, and the next one will be the most important before the playoff scenario begins. Columbus travels his two hours on Interstate 71 past the Hell is Real sign for his matchup with FC Cincinnati.
A wrinkle in the matchup is the absence of Arthur. With his sixth yellow card of the season, the Brazilian midfielder will miss the trip.
FC Sincey sits outside the playoff spots with eight games remaining on the team’s schedule. A rivalry game already circled on the team’s calendar will come a few more times when it can be the difference between postseason football and an early end to the season.
Columbus and Cincinnati kick off at TQL Stadium on Saturday, August 27 at 7:30 PM ET.
