Jonathan Bead
Columbus Shorthanded But Dominant in 6-1 Win Against Atlanta United
Aidan Morris, Philip Quinton, and Max Arfsten scored their first career goals, while Christian Ramirez scored a brace, helping a shorthanded Columbus secure a dominant 6-1 win against depleted Atlanta United on Saturday. The loss marked the heaviest for Atlanta in the team’s history.
The decision by MLS to schedule games through the international break produced the expected results with Atlanta missing seven players, including Thiago Almada and Derrick Etienne Jr., and U.S. national team defender Miles Robinson. Columbus, on the other hand, were without goalkeeper Eloy Room, playmaker Lucas Zelarayan, and defender Milos Degenek.
The Crew led 1-0 at the half and exploded in the second half for goals by Ramirez, Quinton, and Jacen Russell-Rowe. Brooks Lennon scored for Atlanta to make it 5-1, before Arfsten tallied in the first minute of stoppage time in his MLS debut.
Morris, a 21-year-old midfielder, scored in his 42nd regular-season match with a diving header for the opening score. Ramirez doubled the score with a shot from the middle of the box, while Quinton scored in his fifth MLS match by heading a corner kick to make it 3-0. Ramirez and Russell-Rowe added two more goals, before Lennon scored for Atlanta.
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