Diego Rossi scored and had and an assist and Mohamed Farsi had two assists for the host Columbus Crew in a 2-0 victory over Atlanta United, securing a successful debut for coach Laurent Courtois on Sunday.
Seko Bangoura, in the 24th minute, and Rossi, in the second minute of first-half stoppage, helped the Crew (4-7-4, 16 points) end an 0-3-1 skid in a steady downpour.
Atlanta (3-9-2, 11 points) has two losses and a tie in the past three matches.
Courtois was a Crew assistant coach until being promoted when Henrik Rydstrom was fired on May 17, less than six months into the job. Courtois was also previous coach Wilfried Nancy’s assistant until a brief stint as CF Montreal’s head coach in 2024 and early into the following season.
Crew midfielder Max Arfsten, who will reportedly be named to the U.S. World Cup roster when it is announced on Tuesday, and teammate and Cape Verde World Cup defender Steven Moreira each started and played 69 minutes.
Patrick Schulte, a U.S. hopeful who likely will not make the roster as the third goalkeeper, made two saves for his third shutout of the season.
Atlanta forward Miguel Almiron entered in the 60th minute for his first appearance since April 11. He had been out with a knee injury. He will join Paraguay for its opening World Cup match vs. the U.S. on June 12 in Inglewood, Calif.
The Crew responded to Courtois’ hiring with a possession-oriented attack reminiscent of Nancy’s in a dominant first half, including 66% of the ball and eight of the 10 shot attempts.
It resulted in Rossi hitting the left post in the 17th minute after a pass by Arfsten before a 4-on-1 off an Atlanta set piece led to Bangoura’s first goal MLS in his 13th match.
Rossi passed to his right to Farsi and he slid the ball to the middle of the box for the tap-in.
It was a quick strike for the second goal when Moreira’s 60-yard ball to Farsi down the right flank led to his pinpoint cross to Rossi, who one-timed the pass for his team-high sixth goal.
Atlanta played better in the second half and finished the day with a 14-11 shot advantage.
–Field Level Media
