Atlanta United now find themselves backed in a corner as they face elimination from the MLS playoffs following their 2-0 loss to Columbus Crew on Wednesday, a loss in which the club only had one shot throughout the entire match. And while United’s performance may have been considered underwhelming, when asked if a faster start to Tuesday’s second leg would be important for United to win and force a decisive third leg, President and CEO, Garth Lagerwey to Steak Shapiro and Sandra Golden that more importantly, Atlanta “just has to win, however you get there."
As the conversation continued, Lagerwey explained that with each club all having the same mission to bring home the MLS Cup, United knows that there will be drama as they all will have to play with a “win or go home” mentality, therefore Atlanta will have to see “if we can step up and be that winner on Tuesday. Again, it’s an exciting time for our club and now we have to deserve that we’re deserving of that opportunity,” Lagerwey added. And as Shapiro re-emphasised that unlike the regular season, there will not be any match that ends in a draw, Lagerwey echoed his sentiments on United having to take care of business on Tuesday.
“There’s nothing more complicated here, no tactical preparation, video watching, like, you just have to win man. You have to go out there over 90 minutes in penalties, whatever it takes, find a way to win,” Lagerwey added. Click link above to hear the comments in their entirety: