Atlanta United’s midweek stumble against the Philadelphia Union has made its mission for the final two games of the 2023 regular season very clear - win. If the Five Stripes are to pull a top four spot out of their sleeve, they’re going to need to win out and hope for some help. The good news, though is that Atlanta can not only add a much-needed three points but also take points off a direct rival in its home curtain-closer this weekend against the Columbus Crew.
The Crew currently hold the coveted fourth place spot on 53 points, 1 clear of New England (who has one game in hand), and four ahead of Atlanta.