Atlanta United opens the Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs on Wednesday when it visits Columbus Crew at Lower.com Field in Game 1 of its Round One Best-of-3 series. The match is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on MLS Season Pass and FS1, while fans can also tune in to radio calls on Star 94 and La Mejor.
MLS Season Pass features every match of the regular season and Audi 2023 MLS Cup Playoffs with consistent match times and no blackouts. The service also features MLS Countdown, the live pre-game show before every match, live halftime reports, MLS 360 — a fast-moving whip-around show that will provide live look-ins and analysis from all the key moments from every match, and MLS Wrap-up, the live post-game show. All matches feature commentary in English or Spanish, while matches involving Canadian teams will also have French commentary. Fans in the U.S. and Canada also have the option to select their home team’s radio for broadcast audio on the Apple TV app where available.
- After finishing the regular season in sixth place in the Eastern Conference, Atlanta returns to the Audi MLS Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in club history.
- Atlanta holds a 5-7-3 all-time record against Columbus in MLS regular season play: 2-4-2 at home and 3-3-1 on the road in the series. The teams faced each other twice during the regular season with Columbus winning the first meeting at Lower.com Field on March 25. The most recent meeting ended in a 1-1 draw at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 7.
- The match will feature the two highest-scoring teams during the regular season, as Columbus and Atlanta scored 67 and 66 goals, respectively.
- It will also feature the top-two teams in MLS regarding possession, with Columbus leading the league with 57.3% and Atlanta next with 55.9%.
- Atlanta scored 24 away goals during the regular season, tied for second-most in MLS.
- Giorgos Giakoumakis, a finalist for MLS Newcomer of the Year, finished his first season with 17 goals and a goals per 90 mark of .85, which ranked second in MLS. His 17 non-penalty goals ranked tied for the most in the league with LAFC’s Denis Bouanga.
- Thiago Almada, named a finalist for MLS MVP and Young Player of the Year, will miss the match due to a red card suspension. He became the youngest player in league history and the third player in club history to record double-digit goals and assists in a single season.
- Columbus finished with a regular season record of 16-9-9 and 57 points to claim the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and posted the best goal differential in the league at +21. Cucho Hernández led the team with 17 goals while he and Alexandru Matan tied for the team lead in assists with 11.
MATCH INFORMATION
Wednesday, Nov. 1 | Lower.com Field, Columbus, Ohio, | 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Atlanta United (13-9-12, 51 points) vs. Columbus Crew (16-9-9, 57 points)
BROADCAST SCHEDULE
TV | MLS Season Pass, FS1
English Radio | Star 94
Spanish Radio | La Mejor