Atlanta United exits first round of MLS playoffs with Game 3 loss to Columbus Crew

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Atlanta United’s season came to an end Sunday night with a Game 3 loss on the road to Columbus Crew.

The Crew defeated United, 4-2, with three goals coming in the first half. 2023 MLS Newcomer of the Year Giorgos Giakoumakis scored a goal in the 35th minute with Xande Silva notching Atlanta’s second goal in the 50th minute.

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Atlanta’s first-round exit this year was the first playoffs under the new format, where instead of aggregate score, the team who won best 2-out-of-3 advances to the next round.

United hasn’t advanced to the second round of the playoffs since 2019, the season where it won the U.S. Open Cup and Campeones Cup and one year after it won the MLS Cup in 2018.

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United will now look to the offseason with many questions surrounding player contracts. The biggest, of course, is where Thiago Almada ends up.

The World Cup winner and MLS Young Player of the Year have been linked to European teams. Almada finished his season with Atlanta with 11 goals and 19 assists in the regular season and one goal and one assist in the playoffs.

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