On Saturday the Columbus Crew began to write chapter 2 in the book of Nancy. 20,406 supporters braved the cold Columbus weather at Lower.com Field to watch the reigning champs start their title defense against the 5 Stripes of Atlanta United. In a match with a lot of emotions before the beginning of the match as the champs received their championship rings and the2023 championship banner was unveiled.
The match got underway, and Columbus jumped out on the front foot right away. With the majority of the team coming back this season, the Crew looked early to frustrate the new defensive back line of the Five Stripes. With Columbus sustaining possession early and often in the first half, that allowed the Crew to have several chances to score.
In the 7th minute while on the attack, Cucho received the pass from Jacen Russell- Rowe and launched the shot at goal and was saved by Brad Guzan. After the save by Guzan, Columbus did not let up the pressure. The 11th minute saw the Capy connection link back up for the first time this season. Streaking up the right wing, Mo Farsi found Jacen Russell-Rowe also streaking up middle. With the Pass from Farsi, Jacen laid a soft left-footed shot just wide of the goal.
Finally, in the 27th minute, Columbus came attacking from the left side when Diego Rossi took a shot that was saved by Guzan. Unfortunately for Guzan, he could not hold on to the ball and the rebound went to the foot of an unmarked Cucho who sent the shot back post and put Columbus up 1-0.
The 38th minute saw back-to-back shots from the Crew. The first chance saw Cucho's right-footed shot go left of the goal. Columbus' next threat came when Russell-Rowe launched a shot thar hit the back post and deflected away from the goal.
The whistle blew and the first half came to a close with Columbus going into the locker room up 1-0. Outside of the goal in the first half, a noticeable takeaway was the renewed confidence from Jacen. During preseason, Jacen said he came back more confident, relaxed and fit. It was apparent Jacen's confidence has grown as last season he would have passed on the two shots he had in the first have against Atlanta.
The Black & Gold kicked off the second half. Atlanta tried to pick up their intensity and began to press Columbus higher. In the 46th minute, Giorgos Giakoumakis took a quick shot from outside the box that went right of the goal.
With the game getting physical, the 51st minute saw Mo Farsi get fouled hard by Stian Gregersen in the box. While Farsi was being attended to, the center official was waiting for confirmation from the VAR center. The 53rd minute center official had confirmed the penalty and awarded Columbus with a penalty kick and gave Gregersen a yellow card. As the 54th minute began, Cucho stepped up to take the PK. Taking a deep breath, Cucho ran up and took the shot to the left and was saved by Guzan keeping the score at 1-0.
In the second half, the possession seemed to favor the Five Stripes. With Atlanta putting pressure on the Crew's backline, the Black & Gold stood strong and prevented any momentum Atlanta tried to sustain. Columbus keeper Patrick Schulte had 3 big saves that kept the score at 1-0.
The final whistle blew, and the Crew topped Atlanta 1-0 enroute to their first win of the 2024 season. With the 1-0 win, Patrick Schulte picked up his first clean sheet of the season. Also, with his goal, forward Cucho Hernandez was named Player of the Match by the fans. The Black & Gold now turn their attention to Minnesota United as they travel to take on the Loons.