Columbus Crew SC 1, Pittsburgh Riverhounds 0 | 2019 US Open Cup Match Recap

The struggling Columbus Crew gave themselves a shot of momentum on Tuesday night, topping the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0 in the fourth round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

After a scoreless first half in which Columbus had more of the ball but neither team was able to seriously test the opposition 'keeper, Crew SC opened the scoring when Pedro Santos found David Accam with a terrific ball over the top for the Ghanaian to guide home with his first touch.

Santos had a chance to make it 2-0 to the Crew from the penalty spot not long after setting up the opener, after Patrick Mullins was pushed over in the box, but the Portuguese winger slammed his effort against the crossbar. Still, Accam's goal would prove enough in a fairly comfortable win for the MLS side.

Goals

55' - CLB - David Accam | WATCH

Three Things

THE BIG PICTURE: Even against USL Championship opposition, the win will come as a big relief to Caleb Porter and the Crew, who came into this one on a 1-8-1 run in MLS play. The Crew have now earned another shot at building some momentum next week before returning to league play.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH:
It's always easy to pick the goal, but it was the winner and a very well-executed one at that. After a sloppy first half in attack, it proved to be a tone-setter for Columbus early in the second.

Beautiful all around 🙌#CLBvPIT | #Crew96 | 1-0 pic.twitter.com/Stejq72WWB
— Columbus Crew SC (@ColumbusCrewSC) June 12, 2019

MAN OF THE MATCH: Penalty miss notwithstanding, Pedro Santos was quite clearly the Crew's most dangerous man during his time on the field. He assisted the game's lone goal with a lovely curled ball in for Accam, the moment of quality needed to break down a resolute Riverhounds backline.