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MLS NEXT Pro Atlanta United 2

Match Preview: ATL UTD 2 vs. Columbus Crew 2

September 23, 2023 - MLS NEXT Pro (MLS NEXT Pro)
Atlanta United 2 News Release


ATLANTA - Atlanta United 2 returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 23 when the team travels to face Columbus Crew 2 at Historic Crew Stadium for its last game of the season. The match is scheduled to kick off at 2:00 p.m. EDT and will be streamed live on Apple TV - MLS Season Pass, while fans can also tune into the Soccer Down Here audio stream.

In ATL UTD 2's last match on Sunday, Sept. 17, the team earned a shootout victory after a 3-3 draw against Inter Miami CF II in the final home match of the year. Miami came out on the front foot and found itself with a two goal lead early on in the match. In the 42nd minute, Noah Cobb responded with his second goal of the year, but Miami regained its two goal advantage quickly with Lawson Sunderland's second goal of the evening. Atlanta came out as the aggressor in the second half and erased the two goal deficit with Nick Firmino's 16th of the year and Kofi Twumasi's first. In the shootout, Clement Diop saved Miami's first penalty attempt while the team knocked in all five of its attempts to earn the two points at home. The team needed a win in regulation to keep its playoff chances alive.

PREVIOUS MEETING

Atlanta United 2 fell 2-0 to Columbus Crew 2 in their previous meeting on July 28. Neither team got on the scoresheet in the first half. However, Columbus opened the scoring in the 50th minute after a series of passes left Taha Habroune with a open look in front of goal. In the 60th minute, Coleman Gannon added to Columbus' lead to earn Crew 2 the clean sheet victory on the road.

ATL UTD 2 BY THE NUMBERS

Atlanta enters the final match of the season with a 9-12-6-2 (W-L-T-SOW) record overall. ATL UTD 2 is tied for 12th in the league with 48 goals, led by MLSNP mid-season MVP Nick Firmino with 16 goals and five assists. The team has featured 16 different goal scorers, played 14 teenagers and made seven professional debuts this season.

COLUMBUS CREW 2

Columbus comes into Sunday's meeting against Atlanta with a 15-9-3 record and is 8-4-1 at home. They are third in the Eastern Conference with 51 points. In its last match, the team earned a 4-0 victory on the road against FC Cincinnati 2 and are led by Gibran Rayo with 10 goals on the season.

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MLS NEXT Pro Stories from September 23, 2023


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