Atlanta United is heading back to the Major League Soccer playoffs for the first time in two years.
United secured the No. 6 seed after a 2-2 draw against FC Cincinnati on Saturday night. Atlanta will face off against No. 3 seed Columbus Crew, who has a playoff history with Atlanta.
The Crew eliminated Atlanta United in the team’s first playoff game during its inaugural season back in 2017.
MLS introduced a new playoff format this year. Instead of two games with an aggregate score, every Round 1 game will have a winner. If the match is tied at the end of regulation, the teams will head to penalty kicks to decide the winner.
The team that wins best two out of three will advance to the next round.
MLS unveiled the full playoff schedule for the first round Sunday night. Atlanta will travel to Columbus for Game 1 set for Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. Atlanta will host Game 2 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m.
If the series is tied, the Crew will host a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.
Something that Atlanta United fans aren’t looking forward to seeing is their team play without its best player. Officials sent Thiago Almada off with a red card during Saturday’s game against Cincinnati.
That means that Almada will miss Game 1 of the playoffs against Columbus.
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