Villalba Leads Atlanta Past Columbus

Starting Lineup

Atlanta United went to Columbus on Saturday, July 1, 2017, and beat Columbus Crew SC 2-0 at MAPFRE Stadium. The match came two weeks after Atlanta beat Columbus 3-1 at Bobby Dodd, and this time Atlanta got both goals from Tito Villalba, a clean sheet from Alec Kann, and its first road league win since March.

Tata Martino started Kann in goal behind Anton Walkes, Michael Parkhurst, Leandro González Pírez and Greg Garza. Jeff Larentowicz and Carlos Carmona started in midfield, with Yamil Asad, Miguel Almirón and Villalba behind Josef Martínez. Columbus started Zack Steffen in goal, Wil Trapp as captain, Federico Higuaín in the middle, Justin Meram and Ethan Finlay wide, and Ola Kamara up top.

1st Half

Almirón created the first clear chance for Atlanta. He found space and hit the post, giving Columbus a warning. The Crew calmed things down after the opening scare.

Kann received the ball in his own half in the 26’ and sent a long ball toward the Columbus penalty area. The ball bounced behind the Crew back line, where Villalba ran onto it just outside the box. He lifted his finish over Steffen and put Atlanta ahead 1-0. It was Alec Kann’s first career assist.

Kann nearly created another goal in the 36’. He went long again, and Martínez got behind the Columbus back line with space to shoot. The chance gave Atlanta a chance to double the lead from almost the same source as the opener, but Martínez sent his shot wide.

Atlanta took the 1-0 lead into halftime. Columbus had more of the ball after the goal, but Atlanta had created the better chances.

2nd Half

The match stayed at 1-0 through the opening stretch of the second half. Berhalter made the first change in the 60’, bringing on Kekuta Manneh for Ethan Finlay. Three minutes later, Almirón got to the end line on the left and drove a ball across the box. Columbus reached the cross first, but the clearance came back into danger. Villalba collected it, set himself, and finished for his second goal of the night.

Villalba came off in the 65’, two minutes after scoring. Martino said after the match that Villalba cramped after the goal and did not want to leave, but Atlanta did not want to risk him. Julian Gressel replaced him with Atlanta leading 2-0.

Columbus brought on Adam Jahn for Justin Meram in the 67’, adding a forward as it chased the match. Nicolai Naess replaced Jonathan Mensah in the 76’. Atlanta made its next change in the 81’, with Brandon Vázquez coming on for Martínez.

Kann was booked in the 83’ as Atlanta closed out the match. Atlanta finished the night with the shutout intact.

Closing Thoughts

Villalba was Atlanta’s best player on the night. He finished with five shots and put four on target. Atlanta had eight shots as a team, and Villalba scored twice. The goals moved him to eight for the season, tied with Almirón for the team lead.

Alec Kann finished with a clean sheet and an assist. Atlanta United left Columbus with its second straight shutout. Columbus put only one shot on target, which says as much about Atlanta’s defending as it does about Kann’s night.

Parkhurst, González Pírez, Garza and Walkes gave Kann a quiet night. Columbus finished with 13 shots and eight corners, but only one shot on target. Walkes also gave Atlanta 90 minutes in his third start of the week.

Atlanta left MAPFRE Stadium with a 2-0 win, a second straight clean sheet, and its third league win in four matches. It was a road performance built on Villalba’s finishing, Kann’s distribution, and a back line that made Columbus work for everything it got.