Atlanta United’s return to the playoffs didn’t quite go to plan. The Five Stripes lasted just forty-five minutes before Cucho Hernández broke through a rather flimsy bunker and made it 1-0. The Five Stripes never even came close to an equalizer, tallying a grand total of one shot, and instead went on to concede a second, but the good news is that doesn’t matter. Thanks to this season’s playoff format, all Atlanta needs is to beat Columbus twice to go through, regardless of the aggregate scoreline.
Of course, beating Columbus just once is quite the obstacle, let alone back-to-back times.