Columbus Crew undone by corner kicks in 2-1 loss to Atlanta United: 3 takeaways
Any momentum the Crew gained during their five-game winning streak has come to a screeching halt over the course of Columbus' last two matches.
After Columbus' first game of the week ended in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday against Charlotte FC at Lower.com Field, the Crew fell 2-1 to Atlanta United on the road Saturday. It was the Crew's final match before the MLS All-Star break, and the loss came in a fashion not yet seen this season - with Columbus dropping a game in which it initially held the lead.
Replay: Columbus Crew fall 2-1 after second half comeback from Atlanta United
The Crew took a 1-0 edge on Atlanta in the first half with a goal from forward Diego Rossi at the 36-minute mark and had the advantage going into halftime.
Atlanta defender Stian Gregersen got his club back on even footing in the second half when he turned a corner kick opportunity into a goal in the 60th minute. Just 17 minutes later, Gregersen was again scoring for Atlanta with a header goal off a corner kick from the left side of the field, giving Atlanta a 2-1 lead, which would hold until the final whistle.
"We made a mistake in terms of the guy we should have marked," Crew coach Wilfried Nancy said. "It's a big mistake, it could happen. This is two goals that we conceded by not doing the right responsibility."
Columbus Crew failed in their corner kick defense not once, but twice vs Atlanta United
On both corner kicks Gregersen scored on, Crew midfielder Mo Farsi was assigned to shadow Gregersen, Atlanta's 6-foot-4 defender, throughout the set piece. On his first goal of the night, Gregersen made a straightforward cut toward the net, beating Farsi and finding a clear path for his header to score. Virtually no other Columbus player was in the area.
"It's the way we've defended them all year," Crew midfielder Sean Zawadzki said. "It's two really good services, and it's in a tough spot. We have our zone and it seemed too far away from our zone to step out to close and head (the corner kick) away."
Nancy referred to the situation as one the Crew "have to do better in," especially because it took less than 20 minutes for Columbus to repeat its mistake. Farsi was again man-marking Gregersen and was beat again, but this time Gregersen ran directly into defender Yevhen Cheberko, whom Gregersen simply overpowered to score off another header.
"The man-marking is trying to do the best they can to just go up there in the run," Zawadzki said. "Sometimes it's difficult. It's a really tough task to do, no matter who the matchup is. ... It's not on one person; it's on everyone."
Columbus has given up four of its 22 conceded goals during the regular season on corner-kick set pieces.
Columbus Crew unable to finish on opportunities once again, are 2 for 38 on shot attempts the last two games
The Crew have totaled just two goals in their last two matches, which is fewer than the number of goals they scored in four of the five games during their winning streak. But the opportunities have been there.
Against Atlanta, the Crew took 16 shots, two more than the 14 Atlanta would finish the game with. The difference: Columbus put just three of its 16 shots on goal, and all its shots on goal came in the first half. Atlanta took six shots on goal and spread them out throughout the game.
"The last two games, we had many opportunities," Nancy said. "(Against Atlanta) we didn't finish well. We didn't have the final movement. That's why we were not able to maximize the bit of chance we had. This is something that we are going to work a bit."
Columbus Crew go into much-needed MLS All-Star break following a rough week of games
The Crew's saving grace comes in the form of the MLS All-Star Game.
The All-Star game is Wednesday. The subsequent All-Star break is set for next week and leads right into the start of Leagues Cup play, which means Columbus will have a nearly two-week break from MLS competition. The only game the Crew have remaining in July is a friendly against the Premier League's Aston Villa on Saturday, July 27.
As the 2023 MLS Cup winners, the Crew get a bye for the group stage and are automatically through to the round of 32, with their first Leagues Cup match slotted for Friday, Aug. 9.
"Obviously, it's not the way we wanted to end this part going into this little break," Zawadzki said. "It's a good time to go into this break, get some time to look back at what we've done so far in the season. Albeit, (the game against Atlanta) was disappointing and frustrating, but looking back at how we've done so far this season, we're in a pretty good spot."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew fall 2-1 vs Atlanta before MLS All-Star: Takeaways
