Everything was going against Atlanta United coming into Wednesday’s clash with Eastern Conference contenders Columbus Crew Wednesday night. The team had every reason to pack it in with a negative, cynical type of performance to try to grind out a valuable road point.
Instead, we got the opposite. Somehow, the Five Stripes summoned enough energy — despite a grueling battle against NYCFC — to overwhelm Columbus in its own ground. And it wasn’t just the players who were aggresive and proactive in preparation for the match. With only two days of training between the games, Tata Martino changed the shape of the team.