OBETZ – Columbus Crew SC completed the final training session of their extended rest time on Tuesday at the EAS Training Center at Obetz. The Black & Gold will encounter MLS-expansion side and Eastern Conference newcomer Atlanta United FC on Saturday following the 14-day period between Major League Soccer matches.
Columbus will next travel for a June 17 match in Atlanta against MLS-expansion side Atlanta United with a 7 p.m. ET kickoff. Crew SC next plays the Montreal Impact at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, June 24 with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff. Enjoy half-off select Budweiser and Bud Light (for supporters ages 21-and-over), Pepsi products, brats and pretzels through the 15th minute.
concession items subject to change
The Black & Gold welcome German Bundesliga-side and DFB Pokal-finalist Eintracht Frankfurt to MAPFRE Stadium for an international friendly on Monday, July 17. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m.
Charter Member #01 vs. Club 22
Crew SC’s first MLS match since June 3 will come on the road against an unfamiliar foe in new expansion club Atlanta United FC on June 17. The matchup will be the first official league match between Columbus and Atlanta — the sides met in the preseason Carolina Challenge Cup in February, with Crew SC winning 2-1 behind a Federico Higuain brace — but Crew SC Sporting Director and Head Coach Gregg Berhalter claims he’s seen his fair share of the new club already.
“Well fortunately they’ve been on TV a whole lot, so we’ve gotten to see them often,” Berhalter said. “It seems like every week they’ve been on national television. So, it’s a good scouting report.”
Berhalter shed some insight on what he has taken away from the film he has watched so far on Atlanta.
“What I’d say is that it’s a very strong counter-attacking group,” Berhalter said. “[Miguel] Almiron is up there with the best dribblers with the ball taking space in the league. Him and Justin [Meram] have very similar skill sets like that. So, it’s going to be a challenge. It’s about us staying organized and preventing those situations.”
Crew SC defender Alex Crognale echoed Berhalter’s statements in praising the Atlanta attack, which currently ranks first in the MLS Eastern Conference in terms of goals scored. The young defender will look to slow the attack on Saturday at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta.
“Those guys are some of the most dynamic strikers and midfielders in the whole league,” Crognale said. “The likes of Almiron, and [Josef] Martinez is back in the mix now, what we’ve seen from them has been impressive so far. But they don’t necessarily do that week-in and week-out so if we’re able to perform our defensive plan and limit them and their chances then we hope to be successful.”
Old friend with a new foe
A former Crew SC captain will suit up for the newly-formed Atlanta team when the Black & Gold return to MLS play. Defender Michael Parkhurst captained Columbus for three seasons, and now the veteran wears the armband for Atlanta United FC.
Berhalter hopes to create movement on the attack that will offset the experience and vision of Parkhurst.
“That’s the idea, to put him in positions where it’s not comfortable for him,” Berhalter said. “We know he’s a very smart player, a very experienced player, and a very good player. We have to make it uncomfortable for him.”
Parkhurst’s former teammate and Crew SC midfielder Ethan Finlay says that he and the Atlanta defender keep in touch, and the two are very much looking forward to seeing each other on the pitch again.
“He’s still very much interested and has a lot of friends on this team,” Finlay said. “We’re excited to go up against him. We know his weaknesses and his strengths, he knows ours. It’ll be great to see him. He’s done a tremendous job there with his leadership and being their captain. It’ll be a great battle and the first of many, I’m sure”
