The Columbus Crew became the fourth and final club to seal its berth into the 2023 Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday night and Wilfried Nancy’s squad did so in emphatic style.
Four different Crew players all celebrated goals as the hosts rolled past Atlanta United 4-2 at Lower.com Field. Darlington Nagbe, Malte Amundsen, Alexandru Matan, and Diego Rossi all found the back of the net for the Crew, who will next travel to Orlando City in the final four of the Eastern Conference.
It was a fast start for the Crew, who raced out to an early 1-0 advantage after only seven minutes Nagbe’s long-range missile landed into the bottom-left corner, giving the veteran midfielder his second goal in the past four matches.
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Columbus’ early pressure continued to pay off as Amundsen lined up a left-footed shot before drilling it into the top-right corner for a 2-0 lead.
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Rossi played Matan in for a 3-0 lead as the Romanian became the latest to celebrate a fine finish. Brad Guzan had no chance as Matan’s shot nestled into the top-right corner.
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Atlanta United pulled one goal back in the 35th minute as MLS Newcomer of the Year winner Georgios Giakoumakis received a pass from Brooks Lennon before stroking home his 18th league goal of the season.
Columbus would recapture its three-goal cushion only two minutes into the second half though. Matan’s through ball pass was slotted home by Rossi for a 4-1 Crew lead and one that they would not let slip away.
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Xande Silva cut the deficit to 4-2 in the 50th minute, but the Five Stripes would be kept at bay for the remainder of the match.
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Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte made two saves in between the posts, helping Columbus hang on for a semifinal showdown with Orlando City.
Columbus failed to defeat the Lions in two regular season meetings this year, tying them 2-2 on home soil before suffering a 4-3 road loss to them on Sept. 16.