Match Preview: Atlanta United opens 2024 regular season in Columbus

First Touches

• Atlanta United will wear the 17s' kit | Learn the story
• Head coach Gonzalo Pineda and striker Giorgos Giakoumakis discuss 'a difficult game' going up against the defending MLS Cup Champions in this week's Training Notebook.
• Saturday's match will be Atlanta's first match of the 2024 regular season. Click here to see the full schedule.
• Who's in and who's out of Saturday's match? View the Availability Report presented by Piedmont

Match Details

• Date: Saturday, Feb. 24
• Kickoff time: 2:00 p.m.
• Location: Lower.com Field

Traveling to Ohio for the match? Visit our Traveling Supporters Guide for things to do and matchday conditions

How to watch, listen and live stream Columbus Crew vs. Atlanta United

• TV: Watch on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV
• Listen: Local radio 92.9 The Game and La Mejor
• Live stream: Watch on MLS Season Pass on the Apple TV app or visit https://tv.apple.com/.
• Follow along: Follow the match with realtime stats and live play-by-play on our Matchday Hub page.
• Watch with fellow 17s: Visit one of our pub partners in your neighborhood or join us at the annual Block Party. As of Saturday morning, tickets to the annual block party are sold out!

Click here to watch the video to learn how to sign up for MLS Season Pass

Recent Form

Gonzalo Pineda said during Thursday's media availability that there were two specific things about Atlanta United's preseason that made him happy: 1.) the work put in on the defensive side, and 2.) the group's chemistry. Both of these aspects showed up in the team's five preseason friendlies. Atlanta put together a clean sheet in the preseason match against Tampa Bay Rowdies. Additionally, the group had some strong performances from players such as Nick Firmino, who tallied three total goals in preseason, and Jamal Thiaré, who scored the equalizer at UGA and finished a fantastic team goal in the match against the Rowdies. Atlanta United's preseason was designed to prepare them for tough road environments, and they'll get their first competitive test this weekend.

Series History and Last Meeting

Columbus Crew owns the all-time series with a 9-6-3 record in MLS play. The Crew also got the best out of Atlanta United during their last meeting. The two Eastern Conference clubs faced off as the 3-seed and 6-seed in the first round of the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs. A third match decided the Best-of-3 series after both teams won a match at home. In the end, the Crew made the most of home field advantage and won the decisive third match at Lower.com Field to end Atlanta's postseason run.

• Tools to the Match: How Atlanta United kicks off the new season with positive result at Columbus

Players To Watch

Giorgos Giakoumakis (Atlanta United) – Last season's MLS Newcomer of the Year had a strong performance against Columbus in the playoff series, especially in Game 2 when he became the first Atlanta United player to record three goal contributions in an MLS Cup Playoff match. Preseason hype has Giakoumakis as a top candidate to win the Golden Boot after coming close in his debut season (while playing significantly fewer minutes than other leaders). The Greek striker said Thursday he's feeling 100 percent after completing his first full preseason with the 5-Stripes. He'll have a chance to kick off his Golden Boot campaign Saturday in Ohio.

Cucho Hernández (Columbus Crew) – The Colombian striker is always one to watch when facing off against the Crew. Cucho led Columbus with 16 goals in the regular season last year and added five more goals during the team's run to win the MLS Cup. The designated player anchors a Columbus lineup that didn't have much turnover from its championship roster, which is a big reason why the Crew didn't drop out of the top spot in the first MLS Power Rankings.