Columbus Crew SC 0 – Atlanta United 2
Altanta United visited the Columbus Crew SC June 13, 2108 and posted a 2-0 win. (Photo Atlanta United)
Atlanta United went on the road to defeat the Columbus Crew SC 2-0 on Wednesday night at MAPFRE Stadium in front of 10,132. The win extends the current road unbeaten streak to seven consecutive matches. Scoring came from the league-leader Josef Martínez and Hector “Tito” Villalba who scored in his first appearance since May 20
Atlanta scored the first goal of the match for the 13th time in 16 MLS matches this season, and improved to 9-1-3 scoring first.
Led by a strong performance from midfielder Jeff Larentowicz, Atlanta’s defense held strong in the second half as it played with a four-man backline for just the third time this season.
Goalkeeper Brad Guzan on this team’s mindset tonight and on the road, “I think mentality, in terms of how we approach games, our ability to be a mature team. I thought today, especially. I don’t think it was until the eighth or ninth minute until they [Columbus Crew SC] touched the ball. We had a fantastic period in the first half where we kept the ball moving, one or two touches, made them shift, made them defend. Obviously, they weren’t pressing us high, and we weren’t causing them any problems. Stuff like that is important on nights like tonight. It’s how you get points on the road in MLS.”
Scoring
In the 30th minute, Ezequiel Barco booked his first assist in club history when his corner kick was headed home by Josef Martínez. Barco floated a beautiful cross to the far post that Martínez was able to rise above the defense and powerfully head toward the right corner. The goal beat Zack Steffen, snapping his shutout streak at 525 minutes.
He just can't. Stop. Scoring. ?
Josef jumps out of the building to take the lead! pic.twitter.com/puCMSg4Ek2
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 14, 2018
The second goal was triggered by Miguel Almirón who started a counterattack in the 82nd minute. With the ball at his feet near midfield, Almirón found space to move into attack. Using his pace to drive to the penalty area, Almirón delivered a pinpoint accurate pass to a streaking wide-open Villalba. Shaking off any rust from injuries, Villalba took one touch and stroked the shot past Steffen.
What a pass. What a finish.
Welcome back, @TitoVillalba15 ? pic.twitter.com/8uZjjqAI5g
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) June 14, 2018
Personnel Details
For the second match in a row a Atlanta United star went out at the half. Josef Martínez was substituted at the by Romario Williams. Martinez scored a goal in his fourth consecutive match, this marks the second time in his career he has scored in four consecutive matches. It was his league leading 14th goal of the season and extends his lead to four over Columbus Crew striker Gyasi Zardes. Head Coach Gerardo Martino, was pretty candid on why Martínez was not on the field to start the second half, “He couldn’t breathe.” He went also spoke to his status, “It is possible that he broke his nose. Tomorrow, as soon as we get back to Atlanta, they will take him to get some tests done and we will see what happens.”
Josef Martínez added his 14th goal of the season against Columbus Crew SC June 13, 2018. (Photo; Atlanta United)
Line-ups
Atlanta United
- GK: Brad Guzan
- Defenders (4): Leandro González Pirez, Michael Parkhurst, Franco Escobar, Mikey Ambrose
- Midfielders (2): Jeff Larentowicz, Darlington Nagbe
- Midfielders (3): Julian Gressel, Miguel Almirón (Miles Robinson – 86’), Ezequiel Barco (Tito Villalba – 76’)
- Forward (1): Josef Martinez (Romario Williams 45′)
Unused Substitutes
- Alec Kann, Sal Zizzo, Kevin Kratz, Brandon Vazquez
Columbus Crew SC
- GK: Zack Steffen
- Defenders (4): Milton Valenzuela, Lalas Abubakar, Jonathan Mensah, Harrison Afful
- Defensive Midfielders (2): Wil Trapp(Adam Jahn – 83’), Artur
- Attacking Midfielders (3): Cristian Martinez (Luis Argudo – 64’), Federico Higuain, Pedro Santos (Eduardo Sosa – 64’)
- Forward (1): Gyasi Zardes
Unused Substitutes
- Jon Kempin, Mohammed Abu, Hector Jimenez, Gaston Sauro
Up Next
Atlanta United return home to Mercedes Benz Stadium for a midweek round of 16 matchup in the 2018 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with the Chicago Fire on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.. They return to MLS action at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Portland Timbers on Sunday, June 24 at 4:30 p.m.
