Bangoura scores 1st MLS goal, Crew beats Atlanta 2-0 to end 4-game winless streak

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COLUMBUS (AP) — Sekou Bangoura scored his first goal in MLS, Diego Rossi added a goal, and the Columbus Crew beat Atlanta United 2-0 on Sunday to snap a four-game winless streak.

Columbus fired first-year head coach Henrik Rydstrom on Sunday. Laurent Courtois, who had been a Crew assistant coach and the former CF Montreal manager, got a win in his first game since being named interim coach.

Patrick Schulte finished with two saves and had his third shutout this season for the Crew (4-7-4). Mohamed Farsi had two assists.

Atlanta (3-9-2) has scored 14 goals this season, tied with Philadelphia and Kansas City for the fewest in MLS.

Bangoura opened the scoring in the 24th minute. On the counter-attack, Diego Rossi tapped a pass to Farsi, who played a first-touch pass around charging goalkeeper Lucas Hoyos to Bangoura for the point-blank finish into a wide-open net.

Rossi — whose chip-shot over Hoyos harmlessly ricocheted off the back post — put away a first-touch shot, off a cross by Farsi on the counter-attack, from just inside the penalty box that made it 2-0 in first-half stoppage time.

Hoyos had two saves.

The Crew beat Atlanta 3-1 on the road April 4 behind two goals from Wessam Abou Ali — who suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 1-1 tie with Orlando City on April 12.

Columbus played Philadelphia to a 1-1 tie last Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer