Second-half goal lifts Crew in Open Cup

Crew SC coach Caleb Porter saw the first game of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup not as a chance to try out a few players who

Crew 1, Riverhounds 0

hadn’t played much this season, but as the perfect setting to build confidence in a team that had lost eight of its last 10 matches.

The Crew’s strong offensive performance in its last match wasn’t evident in the first half, but a secondhalf lift from midfielders David Accam and Pedro Santos carried the team past the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 1-0 Tuesday night at Mapfre Stadium.

“When a team sits in and makes it a defensive game, it’s difficult,” Porter said. “I thought we came out fine, we just fizzled out in the

final third at times. We did a nice job of unlocking them in the second half.”

Missing seven of its regular starters due to injury or national team obligations, the Crew lacked cohesion on offense for much of the match against the United Soccer League team. The breakthrough finally came early in the second half off the right foot of Accam, whose goal sent the Crew to the round of 16.

In the 56th minute, from about 15 yards outside the top of the penalty area, Santos chipped the ball into the box where Accam ran onto it and got enough of a touch on the ball with his right foot to put it past the charging keeper.

It was Accam’s first goal since he was acquired by the club in early May. He said the offense was too impatient in the first half but started to generate chances when the Crew was more clinical in the final third of the field.

“We shifted it side to side and that opened more spaces for us,” Accam said. “I think that was more of the reason why we had success in the second half.”

Despite the Pittsburgh Riverhounds midfielder Kenardo Forbes (11) takes a free kick against the Crew defensive wall in the first half.

defense sitting back, Porter and Accam each said the Crew should’ve scored more.

In the 67th minute, forward Patrick Mullins was tackled in the box for a penalty kick, but Santos struck the ball