While the Columbus Crew have already punched their ticket to the knockout round of the "MLS is Back Tournament," Atlanta United FC are in danger of going winless in the group stage.
Looking to remain undefeated on the season and win Group E, the Crew try to officially end Atlanta's advancement hopes on Tuesday night in Kissimmee, Fla.
Columbus (3-0-1) is off to a stellar start, and following tournament wins over FC Cincinnati and the New York Red Bulls by a combined 6-0 scoreline, is looking like the favorite to win this World Cup-style event held at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. The Crew have clinched a spot in the knockout round, and can win their group while trying to go undefeated through the opening five games of the season for the first time since 2010.
"We are in a great position now," Brazilian midfielder Artur told the Crew's official website. "Everybody is in a position to help the team, and I think it's very good for the club."
Two in particular have been Gyasi Zardes and Lucas Zelarayan, who have combined for seven of Columbus' eight goals in 2020. At the other end, the Crew have conceded just one goal this season.
The latter could prove to be daunting for Atlanta (2-0-2), which is playing without star forward Josef Martinez (torn ACL) and coming off a pair of 1-0 losses to open the tournament. The latter against lowly and under-talented FC Cincinnati was a rather disheartening effort in which Atlanta showed little attacking energy and actually finished the match with nine men due to some poor overall discipline.
In one of the more stunning storylines of this tournament near Orlando, Atlanta is seriously looking at not just missing out on advancing to the knockout stage, but losing all three group games after winning its first two contests prior to the league's shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic. United have now gone back-to-back regular-season matches without scoring a goal for the first time in club history.
"We have to win this next game," veteran midfielder Jeff Larentowicz told Atlanta's official website. "The Crew have shown to be a tough team, and we know it's going to be a difficult game.
"It's not like us to lose back-to-back games and be (at the) bottom of the group in tournament play. It's incredibly disappointing."
Atlanta is 4-2-1 all-time against Columbus, but lost both meetings in the series last season. Zardes has a goal in three consecutive games United.