Atlanta United and the Columbus Crew kick off their 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs Round One series on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. from Lower.com Field. Atlanta will be looking to get an early edge in the best-of-3 series and defeat the Crew for the first time since 2021.
The big story for Atlanta will be the absence of Thiago Almada, who picked up a pair of yellow cards against FC Cincinnati on Decision Day. Gonzalo Pineda will be forced to put together a starting XI that will compensate for the loss of his No. 10 and MLS MVP finalist.
Of course, the Crew have a star of their own: Cucho Hernandez. The Five Stripes will need to keep him in check or it could be a short stay in the postseason.
We talked about it on Monday with Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer Doug Roberson. Watch the conversation in the video player above or listen to our podcast!