Atlanta, new-looks Crew hope to head into break on high note

A "new" Columbus Crew seeks to go into the nearly two-month World Cup break on a positive note when they host Atlanta United on Sunday.

The Crew (3-7-4, 13 points) fired first-year coach Henrik Rydstrom last Sunday and replaced him with assistant coach Laurent Courtois, a former assistant to previous Crew coach Wilfried Nancy. In the interim, Courtois had a brief run as head coach of CF Montreal.

Columbus is 0-3-1 in the past four MLS matches and sits 13th in the Eastern Conference, but in Courtois' first match on Wednesday, the Crew defeated New York City FC 1-0 in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup.

Midfielder Max Arfsten, who scored the long goal against NYCFC, said promoting Courtois made the transition smooth.

"For the older guys, he's been here for a couple of years, and it's just kind of a sense of familiarity," Arfsten said. "He's very understanding of how things are from a player's perspective, and I think that always helps."

Arfsten, who leads the Crew in goal contributions (four goals, four assists) is expected to be named to the U.S. World Cup roster on Tuesday.

"I'm trying to focus on what I'm doing right now," he said. "I know that's the cliche media answer, but I'm just trying to focus on what I can control and hopefully it happens."

Atlanta (3-8-2, 11 points) is coming off a 4-1 loss to Orlando City in an Open Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday, three days after tying the Lions 1-1, but a difference-maker is expected to be available Sunday.

Miguel Almiron has not played since April 15 because of a knee injury, but trained on Friday, a sign he is ready to return before joining the Paraguayan World Cup team.

In his absence, Atlanta has relied on the likes of Alexey Miranchuk, the team leader with five goals, and 18-year-old Cooper Sanchez, who tops the club with four assists.

"You see young players pushing and fighting for minutes, and not only that, but they're proving themselves on the pitch," goalkeeper Jayden Hibbert said. "You have Cooper, probably the most underrated homegrown player in the entire league right now."

--Field Level Media