Columbus Crew SC (2-1-1, 7 pts.) suffered its first loss of the 2019 season in the form of a 3-0 setback against the Philadelphia Union (1-2-1, 4 pts.) on Saturday, March 23 at Talen Energy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pa.
A first-half brace from David Accam put the home side ahead early, first with a strike off the inside of the far post in the 31st minute. Ten minutes later, Accam netted his second with a close-range hit, which deflected slightly off the foot of Jonathan Mensahand past goalkeeper Joe Bendik, who recorded his first start with Crew SC.
Moments into the second half, Philly's Ilsinho made it a 3-0 lead with a shot that deflected on the crossbar and in. The Union recorded their second win versus Crew SC in the last five meetings, while Columbus' 2019 road record turns to 1-1-0.
Notably, 2019 MLS SuperDraft selection JJ Williams made his Crew SC regular-season debut after subbing on for Patrick Mullinsin the 54th minute. Bendik, Williams, Mullins, Luis Argudo, and Eduardo Sosa all made respective regular-season debuts for the Club.
Up next, Columbus returns home to host defending MLS Cup champion Atlanta United FC on Saturday, March 30 at 7:30 p.m. ET. Supporters can watch the match on SportsTime Ohio, stream on FOX Sports GO, or listen on ESPN 1460 AM Columbus or www.ColumbusCrewSC.com (English & Spanish).
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Goal Scoring Rundown:
PHI ā David Accam (Picault, Medunjanin), 31st minute: Accam placed it inside the far post with a left-footed shot. CLB 0, PHI 1
PHI ā David Accam, 41st minute: A near-post shot deflected off of Jonathan Mensah's foot and past Crew SC goalkeeper Joe Bendik. CLB 0, PHI 2
PHI ā Ilsinho, 48th minute: A hard-hit shot from close range deflected off the crossbar and in. CLB 0, PHI 3 | FINAL
Lineups:
Columbus Crew SC
Philadelphia Union
Match Notes:
- Goalkeeper Joe Bendik and forward JJ Williams made their regular-season debut for Crew SC in tonightās road contest against the Philadelphia Union. Bendik started for the Crew in tonightās match, while Williams came in as a substitute for Patrick Mullins in the 54th minute of the contest. Bendik joined the Black & Gold on December 27, 2018 while Williams was selected by Columbus in the First Round of the 2019 Major League Soccer SuperDraft on January 11, 2019.
- Ricardo Clark, Hector Jimenez and Patrick Mullins all made their first regular-season start of 2019 in tonightās road contest against the Philadelphia Union. In Mullinsā case, it was also his first appearance of the 2019 MLS regular season.
- Midfielders Luis Argudo and Eduardo Sosa made their 2019 regular-season debut in tonightās match. Argudo entered the contest in the 65th minute as a substitute for Artur, while Sosa entered the match in the 84th minute as a replacement for Robinho.
- Tonightās contest marked Crew SCās 24th all-time regular-season contest against the Philadelphia Union since 2010. Over the span, Columbus has compiled an overall record of 12-9-3 against the Union.
- With tonightās result, Crew SCās 2019 regular-season record is now 2-1-1 (7 points). Next up, Crew SC has a home contest against Atlanta Union at MAPFRE Stadium on Saturday, March 30 (7:30 p.m. ET / SportsTime Ohio, FOX Sports GO / 1460 ESPN Columbus and streaming online via the āListen Liveā button at 971TheFan.com / Spanish audio stream on ColumbusCrewSC.com).
