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Winner, winner
That’ll do it. A great performance against a good team. Atlanta takes back the top spot in the Supporters’ Shield race.
Miggy remembers how to finish
Finally Miguel Almiron has finished a difficult chance and appears to have finished off the three points. The slump is over.
Miggy Back, Y'all pic.twitter.com/mkvZQIEoGy
— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) August 19, 2018
Tito Villabla runs past everyone and scores
Atlanta United have retaken the lead through Tito Villalba’s unbelievable solo goal. The winger ran nearly 80 yards past multiple defenders and finished with a lovely shot past Zack Steffen.
DNLNFALNDFLDSNFLJD TTOTITOITIOTOITIOTIOTTITOTITOITOITOITOITOTTTOIITTTOOO pic.twitter.com/8hVEFKGqMC
— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) August 19, 2018
Crew equalize
Columbus have come out of the locker room and tied the match within five minutes. Gyasi Zardes was given tons of space to line up a shot and he finished past Guzan.
Record Tied
Josef Martinez is on the precipice of history. He’s scored his 27th goal of the season, tying the MLS single-season record. One more til history...
RECORD TIED pic.twitter.com/g8GZeuaNsP
— Dirty South Soccer (@DirtySouthSoc) August 19, 2018
Pre-game
Where has the season gone? Just 10 regular season matches remain until the playoffs start. While Atlanta United certainly seem destined for the postseason, there are several different things left to accomplish this season and their match against the Columbus Crew today could go a long way in setting that up. The Five Stripes find themselves in the thick of the Supporters’ Shield race alongside the two New York teams and this weekend’s results could give us an indication of who has the upper hand.
The Crew are a familiar foe with Atlanta already defeating them in Columbus, 2-0, earlier this season. Tito Villalba is known as the Lion Tamer, but it’s actually the Crew who he’s feasted on in his career. Can he once again be thorn in their side and help his team earn a valuable three points?
Tata Martino indicated on Friday that Ezequiel Barco could finally return from his team-imposed benching and play some sort of role in this match. The team is still without several full backs and look to be banking on 16-year-old George Bello for defensive depth.
The Crew come into the match riding a three-game win streak with victories over Orlando City, New York Red Bulls, and Houston Dynamo. Meanwhile, Atlanta haven’t lost since July 4 but continue to throw away valuable points. This should be an interesting one.
Note: We’re trying something new with our match threads this year. We’ll be updating the post with updates of goals and big moments as they happen. Check back every so often during the match for highlights and commentary.
Atlanta United’s Lineup:
#ATLUTD's Starting XI against @ColumbusCrewSC pic.twitter.com/0tD9plkgWT
— Atlanta United FC (@ATLUTD) August 19, 2018
Columbus Crew’s Lineup:
Back at it with a 4️⃣-2️⃣-3️⃣-1️⃣
— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) August 19, 2018
Tonight’s Starting XI @ATLUTD.#CrewSC | #ATLvCLB pic.twitter.com/rWSC3NbvDi
How to Watch
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Advertised Kickoff Time: 4:00 p.m. ET
Available TV: FOX Sports Southeast
Available Streaming: fuboTV (free trial), FOX Sports GO, ESPN+ (Outside of local viewing area)
Available Radio: 92.9 The Game (English), AT&T Countdown to Kickoff (FB Live/Periscope), La Mejor 1600 AM (Spanish)
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