Describing a match as a tale of two halves is one of the worst cliches used in sportswriting. However, it needs to be used to describe Saturday night.
What matters most is the Columbus Crew produced a much-needed win on the road late in the season. That it happened with five first-half goals for the first time in club history is even better. (In fact, the Crew had never scored four goals through 30 minutes ever in the team’s three decades).
But then the visitors conceded four-straight goals and were on the ropes late in the game. Ultimately the comeback didn’t matter, though, as the thunderous opening 45 minutes helped the Black & Gold win a fifth road match this season.
“For me, this is not a failure,” head coach Wilfried Nancy said of the Atlanta comeback. “This is good for us because this is something we have never seen before to be at 5-1 and to struggle and to almost lose the game. This is something that we want to figure out.
“At the same time, this is football. It could have been easy game, I would say, to try to prepare the next game because we have three games coming and two more that's coming.”
Diego Rossi scored his first of three goals in the 14th minute, then another three minutes later.
He eventually produced his first hat-trick with Columbus in the 39th minute of the game. But before his last goal, new Designated Player Wessam Abou Ali scored his first MLS goal, while Andrés Herrera earned his second goal of the campaign.
“I'm happy for him that he scored the goal, but after that, I hope that he's going to score again because he can do it,” Nancy said of the Abou Ali goal. “You know me, I'm not a guy that’s trying to make assumptions. The reality is if he scores, he scores.
“He did a good game because the last game, it was average, I would say; it was good stuff, but not enough. First game as a starter, it is very normal. Tonight, he was good defensively and also offensively. Good for him.”
The home side then scored in first-half stoppage time, then twice in the first five minutes of the second half. A fourth goal arrived in the 88th minute.
But the Black & Gold prevented the home side from finding an equalizer.
“It almost felt like two different games, you know, two different halves, obviously,” Darlington Nagbe said. “But, you know, first half was great. We didn’t want to give up that goal at the end of the half and then go into the half after giving up a goal and give them momentum but in second half, we gave up an early goal and you know, just the little moments where we can be better and more professional.
“We know there's time. We’ve got to realize that we can play and that we belong, myself included. Obviously want to be involved for the team but most of the time we have to clear the ball to make the play, but it’s a win and we’ll take the three points.”
With the win, Columbus has five matches remaining in the regular season.
Additionally, the Black & Gold woke up Sunday morning sitting fifth in the Eastern Conference standings. While it looks likely that Nancy’s men will make the postseason again, the big push is to secure a top-four finish to earn home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
Nashville is fourth with 50 points, but has played one more match.
There’s a quick turnaround now, as the Crew return to midweek action on Wednesday night when they play at New York City FC.
