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Columbus Crew advance to Eastern Conference semifinals, beat Atlanta United in first round
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- Columbus Crew advance to Eastern Conference semifinals, beat Atlanta United in first round
In what Wilfried Nancy called a "new story" Sunday night, the Crew's playoff success at home did not waver.
In a win-or-go-home third game of the first round of the MLS playoffs, the Crew showed off their home-field advantage in front of a sold-out crowd at Lower.com Field, beating Atlanta United 4-2 to advance to the Eastern Conference semifinals.
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The Crew will face Orlando City SC in the semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 25 in Orlando.
The Crew have not lost a home playoff game since the 2015 MLS Cup final against the Portland Timbers .
For Nancy, Sunday night was a chance to respond to the Crew's 4-2 road loss Tuesday.
"We started from zero because it was a third game," Nancy said. "I really enjoyed the week that we had. We were able to find ways, with the staff and the players, to find a balance between, 'OK, we lost the game. But at the same time, we move forward because we know what we can do.' "
From starting at "zero," the Crew's momentum came early. And if came from the team's captain.
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In the ninth minute, Darlington Nagbe , got in front of a clearance attempt by Atlanta before centering himself and firing into the back left of the net for his first playoff goal of the tournament.
Crew players celebrate Darlington Nagbe's goal in a 4-2 win over Atlanta.
Coming into Sunday's game, the Crew posted a 10-0-1 record in home games where they had scored the first goal.
The Crew did not relent.
In the 17th minute, Malte Amundsen found the top right corner of the net from 30 yards out off a pass from Aidan Morris before Alex Matan took feeds from Cucho Hernandez and Diego Rossi and connected on a score for a 3-0 lead late in the first half.
"I think we just learned from our past, you know," Matan said, saying the Crew "managed the game very well" after getting off to a fast start offensively.
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For Amundsen, the past is what helped propelled the Crew Sunday, embracing a change in mentality stemming from what happened in Atlanta.
"We came in next day, we're talking about what went wrong, about how our pressing didn't work, about how we didn't come out aggressive and that we should come out aggressive today," Amundsen said. "I think it started already days ago, preparing 'What are we going to do?' "
But Atlanta did not let up.
After cutting the score to two after a Giorgos Giakoumakis left-footed shot off a cross from Brooks Lennon , Atlanta found its share of chances, especially late in the first half when Lennon had a sliding attempt blocked outside of the box and Miles Robinson missed to the right off a corner in extra time.
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Rossi struck first two minutes into the second half off a through ball by Matan before he celebrated with his teammates with an homage to Xande Silva's "Spider Man" mask goal celebration in the second first-round game, mimicking web shooters toward the Crew's home crowd.
For Rossi, this offensive approach was nothing new.
"We did this before also," Rossi said. "Today the ball rolls in. I think we did a great game and we have, yeah, the intensity. We were aggressive."
Silva answered three minutes later with a score off a cross from Lennon. But Atlanta's deficit remained at two goals, as it finished with 11 shots and four shots-on-target despite holding 53.1% of possession.
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Emotions boiled over in the 87th minute after a hit on Rossi near the top left corner of the field, where both teams began to jaw at one another.
Sean Zawadzki , who was questionable heading into the game with a thigh injury, entered the game for Rossi in the 88th minute, who walked off the field, pumping up the crowd as he left.
Nancy said Zawadzki coming off the bench Sunday was a mix of a tactical move, and him recovering from a thigh injury, saying the Crew defender was "not really 100%."
Sunday's 4-2 win was the Crew's first victory since Oct. 4 in which Hernandez did not score a goal.
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Hernandez had three shots-on-target saved by Atlanta goalkeeper Brad Guzan late in the second half, including a free kick that hit the crossbar in the 90th minute. He finished with with six shots.
Nov 12, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Columbus Crew defender Steven Moreira (31) runs the ball down the field past Atlanta United forward Xande Silva (16) during game three of their series on Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023 at Lower.com Field.
Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte had two saves.
The Crew held possession for 46.9% of the game, finishing with 21 shots and eight shots-on-target.
Julian Gressel did not start for the Crew Sunday. He was replaced in the lineup by Mo Farsi , who Nancy said he wanted to bring the energy on the right side "to be able to make the run from behind to be front foot."
"Julian is able to do it, but it is not the same profile," Nancy said.
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The Crew got the first win of its three-game playoff series against Atlanta Nov. 1 with a 2-0 victory before falling to Atlanta on the road 4-2 Tuesday.
The Crew have recorded one loss in their last 28 home matches, posting a record of 17-1-8. They have not lost a game at home since losing to Minnesota United SC in the Leagues Cup on penalty kicks Aug. 4.
And Amundsen said the home crowd played a factor in the Crew's victory.
"I know we have great fans and a great home-field," Amundsen said. "But walking onto the field, I was all smiles because this was amazing. What they did, all the fans, the noise, the towels... the lights, I can really enjoy it when I see it like that."
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Crew beat Atlanta United in MLS playoffs, advance to semifinals
