Match preview: 404 Day sees Atlanta United preparing for typically tricky Columbus Crew

After the international break, all eyes are back on the 5-Stripes as they gear up for a special occasion: a home match on Atlanta's 404 Day. They'll take on a struggling Columbus Crew side and look to continue a now two-match unbeaten run. 

Atlanta United is back at Mercedes-Benz Stadium after sharing with their Atlanta-area neighbors, U.S. Soccer, over the weekend. The United States Men's National team played two matches at MBS and trained at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Training ground during the international window.

"What's clear is you can see this is now a World Cup environment," head coach Tata Martino said. "The fact that the [USMNT] is training here and preparing for a World Cup but the two matches that they played at Mercedes-Benz that we were able to attend."

The week of international matches provided many Atlanta United players the chance to represent their countries, but the work the players who stayed in Atlanta put in was equally impactful. Martino and Tristan Muyumba spoke to that work during media availability Thursday. 

Letting the pieces come together

Five matches into the regular season, it's no secret that players and coaches around Atlanta United think there's work to do. 

"It's not growing as fast as we want," Muyumba said. "... We are improving, but of course we want to move forward faster and get results. But we're definitely progressing."

With that being said, an international break inviting new faces into training is exactly the kind of refresh the 5-Stripes needed. Muyumba said it was good to see younger players entering the fold and challenging the first team. 

Though Martino and Muyumba spent much of their media availability on what their team can do to improve going forward, the defense was a point of satisfaction for the 5-Stripes after their first clean sheet of the season. Muyumba was asked what he'd attribute that success to. 

"It's a mix of many things," Muyumba said. "We had a good preseason where we'd been working a lot on fitness, on our shape, creating chemistry between some players. We had more time to train together."

The furthering of Enea Mihaj's integration, along with Stian Gregersen's health and not to mention Tomás Jacob and Elías Báez's introductions have all played a key part in the defense improvement throughout the last two matches. But it's also been about game condition. Atlanta United rarely let D.C. United or Philadelphia break on counterattacks, something they conceded too often against their first three opponents of the year.

Muyumba has been vital in that control as well, starting the last three matches in the defensive midfield and setting some record passing numbers. Muyumba's 31 completed passes were the most by an Atlanta United player in the first 15 minutes of a match in all competitions in club history against D.C. United Saturday, March 21. He ended the night with 118, the second-most of any player in a single match for Atlanta United. They'll need that solidity again come Saturday, where the 5-Stripes will face a team that's given them some trouble in recent years. 

Tricky Columbus

Under new head coach Henrik Rydström, the 2026 Columbus Crew are still searching for answers. Without a win so far this season, the Crew have been unable to replicate the comprehensive possession and passing success of previous sides. 

But that doesn't mean they'll be any easier a matchup for Atlanta United, who have traditionally found a fixture with Columbus rather difficult.

"This Columbus team is very different from the previous versions," Martino said. "... Now it's two different cultures on both sides, so that's the game we have to prepare for."​

Indeed, both sides in this matchup have undergone great changes since the last time they met — remember the near comeback in Atlanta's 5-4 loss in September of 2025? 

Muyumba and Martino admitted both teams will look to hoard possession on the evening. Much of their focus in training has been on counteracting the low block that D.C. United showed against them last time out, perhaps anticipating Columbus may do the same at points during the match.

Martino was clear when speaking on the lack of creation in the final third. He knows he has the players to make a difference when the opposition drops back in a shell, and he said he worries less about that game condition. 

"We have players who know how to make the final pass," Martino said. "Miguel knows, Alexey knows, Steven knows."

The trouble right now according to El Profe is, against D.C., the team didn't make the right decisions when they had opportunities to turn half attacks to full-fledged chances.

Columbus will be another prove-it match for the 5-Stripes: can they adjust to whatever game condition they find themselves in and earn a result? Especially on a momentous occasion for the city of Atlanta celebrating 404 Day, 17s will be eager to see their side make more progress and turn that positivity of play into points.

"We've seen an evolution of the team from the first game to the fifth game," Martino said. "What's different is we haven't gotten the results to accompany that ... We know that we need the results to back that."