Atlanta United vs Columbus Crew

Columbus Crew blew Atlanta United away with a commanding 3-1 victory at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday night. Wessam Abou Ali was the star of the show, firing a clinical second-half brace to send the visitors on their way. Abou Ali headed home a Max Arfsten cross in the 48th minute before doubling the lead with a sweet strike into the top corner just five minutes later. Alexey Miranchuk pulled one back for the hosts on the hour mark, but Arfsten restored the two-goal cushion within 60 seconds to kill any hopes of a comeback. Atlanta's evening went from bad to worse when head coach Tata Martino was shown a red card in stoppage time for storming into the Columbus technical area, earning a touchline ban for next week's trip to Chicago. The result handed Columbus their first win of the 2026 campaign and a maiden MLS victory for head coach Henrik Rydstrom. Atlanta will be licking their wounds after a frustrating night at the Benz.